USp
.98340
Serving Over 48 Communities in Northern New Hampshire and Vermont March31,1982
"q R CVI00 blasted by public spokesmen
HIW #AMPSNISl
tyme
Orfovd
Piermon!
Hoverhdl
Woodsvdle
Both
VlSMONT
Thelford
So,flee
West Fo,rlee
Ilredford
(Or,nth
Topsham
Newbury
Wells R,vet
IlYegote
b-_22
labor
i00etice suit
i00ttl00d
I A scheduled
u practice suit
, fUity Publishing
J ended before it
at Wednesday when
,,ny decided to settle
te with lawyer
. mZo. The company
7 to.pay him $14,000,
i._ s back salary.
i ,t daint was actually
to he National Labor
.s BOard,,_.._ by the
D
mld, an AFL-
lffiliate. It alleges
'.z was fired from his
a
N . 1 editor job at
[ Pblishing firm for
. organizing ac-
• eaen.ployees that
bw nail also filed un-
tPractice charges.
,,. e charges, from
' Iorlll -
lr er boss, John
k' as voluntarily
. ".oe other com-
Joaquin Ber-
"qdlnlissed by the
W "i Trunzo says
s pursuing a
-,.the U.S. Human
b "umssion claiming
[ iid Bermudez_ a
lyrY than other
-._ Situated,, em-
M'Use of his status
--'---g,t native in the
| " teraporary work
%
PINEWOOD DERBY-- Cub Scouts competed in the
annual derby at Oxbow High School. Pictures and
PSB hears ratepayers in Bradford
BRADFORD-- Angry called this the "main reason"
ratepayers came prepared to
a public hearing before
representatives from the state
Public Service Board (PSB)
held last week to compile
public testimony regarding a
proposed 25 percent rate in-
crease currently being sought
by Central Vermont Public
Service Corporation (CVPS).
The Thursday hearing held
at the Bradford Academy
Building was a long night for
two CVPS representatives--
Donald Rushford, corporate
attorney and Richard Kep-
sack, director of customer
services. Nine area
ratepayers, most of whom had
apparently done their
homework, gave official
public testimony and several
others spoke later with both
t°lrial Statement from
, "The company
to page 7) winners on page 5.
)
. ppmg mall planned
groups blasting CVPS for even
considering an increase the
size of the one currently
proposed.
The 100 people who attended
heard relatively little in
defense of the rate increase
from CVPS. Tla company
claims it" needs a 25 percent
increase because the cost of
purchasing its electricity has
gone up 25 percent,
"CV buys 92 percent of its
power," said Ruslfford, "this
represents 68 percent of our
operating costs." He said that
in 1979 it cost them $34 million
to purchase their electricity
and that for 1982 the cost had
risen to $72 million. Rushford
for Woodsville
welfare division moves to Littleton
It was 10 years ago that the New cases in this district were in Lancaster saying, 'you mean
Hampshire Division of the areas of Littleton and in order to see so-and-so, I
Welfare opened its office on further north in Lancaster. have to make anS0-mileround
Central Street in Woodsville. F'iermont is the southern tip of trip?'" said Kaminski.
As of last week, its offices the district, saidKaminski. An Adjustment
were empty and its staff had Kaminski listed 159 people Asked whether he felt the
moved up the road to a new on welfare assistance move woum nave any aoverse
office in Littleton. programs in the Woedsville effects on the towh of
How will the move effect area--129 of these people are Haverhill, Kamiuski said he
Woodsy(lie? According to housed at the Grafton County did not think there would be.
district welfare director Paul Home and 30 families in the "It's going to be an ad-
Kaminski, 32 people were area are receiving help under justment; the move was made
employed by the welfare the Aid to Families with with a lot of mixed feelings but
division at the Woodsville Dependent Children program it's all for the better."
office. All except for one of (AFDC). Actually, word of the move
these employees will now be Littleton is said to have the has been around for some time
working out of the Littleton district's largest oaseload and and few, if any, may be
office. Lancaster has about 200 shocked by the news the move
The division will still keep welfare cases. One of the has finally happened. The
one of their staff available at major reasons for the move, Haverhill selectmen first
the Grafton County court said Kaminski, was that the publicly discussed the
building on Mondays, Woodsville office was using up possibility of a move on Jan. 9
Tuesdays and Wednesdays. to $17,000 per year on (ran- in 1980/
But to make an appointment sportation costs. To make an appointment to
at the office, you must call the Transportation was also a see the welfare division's
'llle Little(on office first, problem for welfare representative at the Grafton
office But Kaminski said the move recipients. "When we were in County court building,
was based primarily on Woodsy(lie, we had a large Kaminski said to call 800-552-
logistics. He said most of the percentage of people around 8959.
Shops are planned for new shoppin00 mall
MT. GARDNER APARTMENT8
you be of the decorative kind,"
for although he said a widened
by the hallway will run from the
of front entrance of the mall
straight through to another
entrance to parking in the rear
a of the building. The shops will
line the hallway.
ten, a N. Patten said the mall would
is encompass the entire first
Central floor of the building except for
Scotty's.
"I think it could be the
greatest thing for Wood-
sville," said Patten.
houses Shopping In Woodsville
"It should help the mer-
chants in town," he added. "If
mall somebody was looking fo
something, now they can find
n nine it in Wondsville."
predicted Patten said he feels his mall
sometime will bring people from the
surrounding area into
this Woodsy(lie to shop instead of
them driving long distances to
Said it Littleton, St. Johnsbury or
the Hanover.
and "Who knows?" said Patten,
a "When they come out of the
shop, mall they'll probably want to
buy something else at some d NEW SHOPPING MALL.- A sbopping mall with nine
the other stores on the block or shops and stores will be moving into the first floor of
nearby." the building which used to house the weffare office.
for the proposed increase.
Public Charges
But many of those who
testified charged that the
increase was due to poor
management decisions and
investments. The public also
charged that CVPS had in-
cluded, among other things,
"CWlP charges" ($3.5
million) for studying the
proposed Quebec power line
through Vermont and New
Hampshire, and had exceeded
its allowed rate of return in
1981.
Attorney for the state's
Public Service Department,
John Anderson, said his
department, which represents
the public in front of the PSB,
had found a number of ob-
jections to CVPS's reasons for
the increase, which was first
proposed last December.
Among those objections,
according to Anderson, were:
-- investments the company
made to study a Burlington
power plant which were in-
eluded in the rate request;
-- money the company
invested in the defunct
Pilgrim If nuclear power
plant ($7.8 million, according
to Rushford);
CVPS's plan to reinvest
recoupment money was also
objectionable, according to
Anderson;
Anderson said CVPS had
"a lot of fat in their pur-
chasing budget" under the
terms of the increase.
Profits
The local people testifying
echoed these objections, some
presenting their own lists of
astonishing figures they said
showed that CVPS was
profiting at their expense.
Bradford resident and
Vermont Alliance member
Charlene Stebbins testified
saying, "They want us to pay
for their mistakes." Stebbins
and many others placed part
of the blame for high utility
rates on the PSB saying, "Ask
the PSB what they have done
to make the company recover
costs for shoddy work-
manship." Stebbins cited
repair costs, reportedly due to
faulty workmanship, from one
Vermont Yankee shutdown
that cost over $1 million.
Newbury resident Steve
Holt gave in his testimony a
lengthy discourse on
"phantom taxes" or projected
budget planning and on a
number of tax loopholes and
"incentives" the federal
government allows utilities.
He pointed out that Federal
law prohibits the passage of
most of these tax breaks to
ratepayers, a system
originally created to spawn
growth in the power industry
but that now encourages
utilities to profit at their
ratepayers expense, ac-
cording to Holt.
Stock is Up
This year, CVPS increased
its shareholders' earnings per
share by 63 percent.
Holt said, "It's like a
basketball game between
UVM and Bradford
Elementary . . . only the
referees keep throwing the
ball to UVM."
Bradford Mini-mart owner
Richard Fox testified that in
eight years electricity costs
for his store had risen from
$200 to $2000 per month.
Storeowner Bud Haas testified
that his electricity costs ex-
Ceeded separately that of his
mortgage and his inventory.
Both said another 25 percent
increase would be
"devastating" to their
businesses.
Helen Pierce Swetland
broke into tears while reading
her letter to the editor printed
in last week's Journal Opinion
to the PSB represen-
tatives--Rosalyn Hunneman,
PSB member and Enis Gid-
ney, an economist retained by
the board. Swetland said her
high utility bills had forced
her to divide up and sell part
of her property on Lake
Morey.
One elderly man testified
that he was unable to pay his
bills without periodically
selling off his dwindling
personal possessions. He told
the CVPS' and PSB
(please turn to page 8)
Haverhill board ponders school's
stated phil0sophv and objectives
WOODSVILLE-- The
Haverhill Cooperative School
Board approved--by one
vote--the newly developed
by MARGARET BURKE "Philosophy and Objectives" from parents and faculty, Smith replied to that
of Woodsy(lie High School at wrote the philosophy and charger "Everything in that
Parker has al00rnative to
the board's meeting Wed- objectives in preparation for paragraph is factual and
nesday, March24. the upcoming evaluation of neutral. ,We are describin
The three paragraph the scheol by the New England Woodsy(lie High School in the
philosophy and list of ten Association ' of Secondary context of the town it is in and
objectives (see adjoining box) *Schools and Colleges. The the students who attend it." It
were presented to the board Association is made up of was noted by the board that
by Monica Smith, Wondsville education professionals who much of the first paragraph is
High School math and science assess the total programs of based on the Town of
schools and decide whether or Haverhill's master plan. "The
not they will receive ac- words 'few,' 'limited,' and
credidation. 'considerable' show the town
Opposition to approval of in a negative light," Kimball
the philosophy was led by maintained.
board member Peter Kimball, Other Business
who objected to the tone of the In oLher business, the board
first paragraph, whiehhese approved the re(mist of John
as "negative." (please turn to page 7)
education sales
ST. JOHNSBURY-- Those raisiag about ,4 million.
who thought the House-
passed education aid sales
tax bill would sail through the
state's senate may get a
surprise today if Senator
Scudder Parker-D, Caledonia
County, announces a different
plan before the senate's
finance committee.
Parker told the Journal
Opinion last" week that he
would announce a plan to the
Senate Finance Committee on
Wednesday, March 31, that
calls for revenues generated
from other sources than the
state's sales tax.
Specifically, he is calling for
blockage of a pass-through of
federal income tax cuts, which
essentially means raising the
state income tax level. Parker
said this would produce about
$I0 million.
The new plan also calls for a
two percent increase on the
state's rooms and meals tax
raisfng another $a.2 million,
and an additional five cents
per pack increase on the
state's tax on cigarettes
Under the education bill
passed by the house, the state
would see a three to four
percent increase in its sales
tax.
Sa me Formula
"I support the formula laid
out that takes into account
income coming into the
community. The negative part
of the bill is the sales tax
which will hurt many towns in
our region because of our
proximity to New Hampshire,
which has no sales tax," said
Parker.
Parker said he had no plans
to change any of the amounts
that towns would receive for
aid to education under the
house-passed bill.
Under the education for-
muia that passed in the house,
state aid to education would
dramatically increase--
something many town and
school officials in the area say
they are looking forward to.
Discretionary Taxes
For example, under the new
(please turn to page 3)
tax bi// teacher and chairperson of the
steering committee, and
Richard Pike, an English
teacher at Woodsy(lie High
School who chaired the
philosophy committee.
These committees, asing
questionnaires and
discussions to gather input
Prime asricultural Act-250
dispute grows in Thetford
THETFORD--Bradford land Mal Gilbert, reportedly told SchonlCosts
developer George Huntington the environmental board that As to bow the town will
is seeking to subdivide a 23-
acre lot in Thetford into 11 lots
for houses. The problem is
that the lot has been
designated as prime
agricultural land.
Last Wednesday, the first
round of a District Environ-
mental Board hearing to
decide the matter got un-
derway. The case is already
being called a test case for a
section of Vermont's Act-250
that deals with prime
agricultural land and housing.
At the hearing last week two
sections out of Act-250's l0
the The(ford site under
dispute, located on the Lake
Fairlec Road, is "the largest
single chunk of prime
agricultural soil scheduled for
development that is literally
challenging Act-250, criteria 9-
b.$$
Carter is said to be arguing
that only six to seven acres of
the site would actually be
developed leaving roughly 15
acres still open to agriculture
for the future.
The site reportedly is open
land described as "virtually
flat" with one house currently
benefit from the development,
both sides seem to agree the
town may lose out if the homes
are built.
Carter estimates the
proposed development would
net the town roughly $15#00
per year in tax revenue, or
$1,500 per house. But the
annual education cost to the
town based on 1.5 children per
house would be about $22,000,
he said.
Thetford Zoning
Administrator Rick Hoffman
says the figure for tax revenue
per house might be closer to
Mountain Lakes bu'00 criteria were the focus of
arguments presented by the
ski area chairlift
100 attend annua/meet/n00
by MARGARET BURKE
MT. LAKES-- Mountain
Lakes, the district of the Town
of Haverhill, N.H., that last
October purchased the
Monteau ski area, has
deepened its involvement in
the winter sport with a vote at
the annual District Meeting to
purchase the double chair lift
that serves the mountain.
Voters at Mountain Lakes'
annual District Meeting
March 20 approved article IV
of the district warrant, which
stated the price of the Thiokill
brand lift -- O,O00.O0--and
provided for the borrowing ot
needed funds "by the issuance
of bonds and-or notes under
the New Hampshire Municipal
Finance Act."
Mountain Lakes had been
leasing the lift from the
Monteau Ski Area, Inc. since
October, 1981. Of the
municipal venture into the
recreational skiing business,
district and ski area manager
Diane Rappa said, "We've
had a profitable season and
are looking forward to another
one next year."
One hundred people at-
tended the Saturday evening
meeting, of whom 35 were
registered district voters and
the remaining 65 mostly
Mountain Lakes home owners
whose voting residences are
elsewhere.
Rappa noted that 35 voters
is a turnout of 50 percent,
since there are only 70
registered voters in the
district. Mountain Lakes
includes 175 homes scattered
around two man-made lakes
and the ski area.
Thirty-two of the homes
house residents full-time, year
'round.
District Officers
At the annual meeting,
Jerry Johnson was re-elected
to the office of Commissioner,
a three-year term. Gwendolyn
Henderson was re-elected for
a one-year term to the office of
treasurer. Christine L.
Chamherland was re-elected
(please turn to page 3)
two sides of the issue. The
sections specifically cover the
proposed development's
financial impact on the town
and its impact on prime
agricultural soil--sections 9-a
and 9-b in criteria number
nine.
Arguing Huntington's side
in the case is project engineer
Robert Carter of Corinth. On
the other side, trying to stop
development on the lot, is a
neighboring farmer who
raises crops next to the lot,
several town officials and
representatives from the
Vermont Environmental
Conservation Commission and
the U.S. Soil Conservation
Service (SCS).
Test Case
The SCS representative,
on the lot.
(please turn to page 2)
Bradford selectmen name
residents to .fill posts
BRADFORD-- Bradford
selectmen last week made
appointments for a number of
town positions including the
reinstatement of P. Charles
Brainerd to serve as their
chairman. Last week's
meeting was their first official
session since town meeting on
March 2.
The selectmen--Brainerd,
John Gibbs and Leonard
Dobbins--quickly reviewed
their balance and expenses for
the coming year, agreeing
that it might he tough to hold
expenses down to within the
town budget.
But as bobbins said later in
the meeting, "The mood of the
voters is to cut taxes and to
hold down our budgets.., and
that's what we're going to do."
Moving on to appointing
townspeople to various town
organizations, the selectmen
named Susan Spaulding as
town service officer--a
psotion tponsibte for ad-
ministering town aid such as
fuel aid assistance. For town
representatives to the library,
the selectmen appointed John
Sanborn and Bruce Stevens.
Carolyn Jefts was named as
(please turn to page 8)
Budget held m 5 nercent increase
Haverhill voters okay school budget
N. HAVERHILL-- Town of This year's estimate is about term arguing budget matters director spot left vacant since
Haverhill voters met at the eight percent higher, with the district's superin- school board member Stephen
James R. Morrill School on However, an exact figure tendents and is an advocate of Elliot resigned last summer,
Thursday, March 18 where for the amount to be raised in lower budgets and lower the voters elected Grafton
they electedschoolofficersfor taxes cannot officially be taxes. Kimball will serve County Correctional Center
positions open this year and determined until the end of the another three years. Director Ernest Towne.
approved a budget that is up school's fiscal year this Attorney Karl T. Bruckner Other Matters
about five percent over last summer--and then the figure became moderator at the Voters also approved two
year's school budget, is determined and set by the meeting even though he lost articles which will authorize
This year's Haverhill New Hampshire Department his election bid to Archie the school board to apply for
Cooperative School District of RevenueAdministration. Steenbtirgh. According to funds through grants anti
budget stands at $1,809,528 as School Elections assistant superintendent other sources.
compared to $1,714,124.10 last N. Haverhill farmer Peter Harold Haskins, state law In addition, they approved
year. Kimball was re-elected to the required that Steenburgh an article authorizing the
A projected figure for the school board by a write-in forfeit the election becausehe district to allocate 50 percent
amount to be raised for the campaign. He had announced was elected this year as the of the surplus from t981-82
school budget by taxes this his decision not to seek town's moderator. The law toward the district's Capital
year was given as $1,094,179. another term to the school reportedly says you cannot be Reserve Fund. This amount is
Last year's figure "to be board in December. Kimball both. not to exceed $I0,000, ac-
raised in taxes was $1,009,499. spent much of his previous For the one-year school cording tothearticle.
USp
.98340
Serving Over 48 Communities in Northern New Hampshire and Vermont March31,1982
"q R CVI00 blasted by public spokesmen
HIW #AMPSNISl
tyme
Orfovd
Piermon!
Hoverhdl
Woodsvdle
Both
VlSMONT
Thelford
So,flee
West Fo,rlee
Ilredford
(Or,nth
Topsham
Newbury
Wells R,vet
IlYegote
b-_22
labor
i00etice suit
i00ttl00d
I A scheduled
u practice suit
, fUity Publishing
J ended before it
at Wednesday when
,,ny decided to settle
te with lawyer
. mZo. The company
7 to.pay him $14,000,
i._ s back salary.
i ,t daint was actually
to he National Labor
.s BOard,,_.._ by the
D
mld, an AFL-
lffiliate. It alleges
'.z was fired from his
a
N . 1 editor job at
[ Pblishing firm for
. organizing ac-
• eaen.ployees that
bw nail also filed un-
tPractice charges.
,,. e charges, from
' Iorlll -
lr er boss, John
k' as voluntarily
. ".oe other com-
Joaquin Ber-
"qdlnlissed by the
W "i Trunzo says
s pursuing a
-,.the U.S. Human
b "umssion claiming
[ iid Bermudez_ a
lyrY than other
-._ Situated,, em-
M'Use of his status
--'---g,t native in the
| " teraporary work
%
PINEWOOD DERBY-- Cub Scouts competed in the
annual derby at Oxbow High School. Pictures and
PSB hears ratepayers in Bradford
BRADFORD-- Angry called this the "main reason"
ratepayers came prepared to
a public hearing before
representatives from the state
Public Service Board (PSB)
held last week to compile
public testimony regarding a
proposed 25 percent rate in-
crease currently being sought
by Central Vermont Public
Service Corporation (CVPS).
The Thursday hearing held
at the Bradford Academy
Building was a long night for
two CVPS representatives--
Donald Rushford, corporate
attorney and Richard Kep-
sack, director of customer
services. Nine area
ratepayers, most of whom had
apparently done their
homework, gave official
public testimony and several
others spoke later with both
t°lrial Statement from
, "The company
to page 7) winners on page 5.
)
. ppmg mall planned
groups blasting CVPS for even
considering an increase the
size of the one currently
proposed.
The 100 people who attended
heard relatively little in
defense of the rate increase
from CVPS. Tla company
claims it" needs a 25 percent
increase because the cost of
purchasing its electricity has
gone up 25 percent,
"CV buys 92 percent of its
power," said Ruslfford, "this
represents 68 percent of our
operating costs." He said that
in 1979 it cost them $34 million
to purchase their electricity
and that for 1982 the cost had
risen to $72 million. Rushford
for Woodsville
welfare division moves to Littleton
It was 10 years ago that the New cases in this district were in Lancaster saying, 'you mean
Hampshire Division of the areas of Littleton and in order to see so-and-so, I
Welfare opened its office on further north in Lancaster. have to make anS0-mileround
Central Street in Woodsville. F'iermont is the southern tip of trip?'" said Kaminski.
As of last week, its offices the district, saidKaminski. An Adjustment
were empty and its staff had Kaminski listed 159 people Asked whether he felt the
moved up the road to a new on welfare assistance move woum nave any aoverse
office in Littleton. programs in the Woedsville effects on the towh of
How will the move effect area--129 of these people are Haverhill, Kamiuski said he
Woodsy(lie? According to housed at the Grafton County did not think there would be.
district welfare director Paul Home and 30 families in the "It's going to be an ad-
Kaminski, 32 people were area are receiving help under justment; the move was made
employed by the welfare the Aid to Families with with a lot of mixed feelings but
division at the Woodsville Dependent Children program it's all for the better."
office. All except for one of (AFDC). Actually, word of the move
these employees will now be Littleton is said to have the has been around for some time
working out of the Littleton district's largest oaseload and and few, if any, may be
office. Lancaster has about 200 shocked by the news the move
The division will still keep welfare cases. One of the has finally happened. The
one of their staff available at major reasons for the move, Haverhill selectmen first
the Grafton County court said Kaminski, was that the publicly discussed the
building on Mondays, Woodsville office was using up possibility of a move on Jan. 9
Tuesdays and Wednesdays. to $17,000 per year on (ran- in 1980/
But to make an appointment sportation costs. To make an appointment to
at the office, you must call the Transportation was also a see the welfare division's
'llle Little(on office first, problem for welfare representative at the Grafton
office But Kaminski said the move recipients. "When we were in County court building,
was based primarily on Woodsy(lie, we had a large Kaminski said to call 800-552-
logistics. He said most of the percentage of people around 8959.
Shops are planned for new shoppin00 mall
MT. GARDNER APARTMENT8
you be of the decorative kind,"
for although he said a widened
by the hallway will run from the
of front entrance of the mall
straight through to another
entrance to parking in the rear
a of the building. The shops will
line the hallway.
ten, a N. Patten said the mall would
is encompass the entire first
Central floor of the building except for
Scotty's.
"I think it could be the
greatest thing for Wood-
sville," said Patten.
houses Shopping In Woodsville
"It should help the mer-
chants in town," he added. "If
mall somebody was looking fo
something, now they can find
n nine it in Wondsville."
predicted Patten said he feels his mall
sometime will bring people from the
surrounding area into
this Woodsy(lie to shop instead of
them driving long distances to
Said it Littleton, St. Johnsbury or
the Hanover.
and "Who knows?" said Patten,
a "When they come out of the
shop, mall they'll probably want to
buy something else at some d NEW SHOPPING MALL.- A sbopping mall with nine
the other stores on the block or shops and stores will be moving into the first floor of
nearby." the building which used to house the weffare office.
for the proposed increase.
Public Charges
But many of those who
testified charged that the
increase was due to poor
management decisions and
investments. The public also
charged that CVPS had in-
cluded, among other things,
"CWlP charges" ($3.5
million) for studying the
proposed Quebec power line
through Vermont and New
Hampshire, and had exceeded
its allowed rate of return in
1981.
Attorney for the state's
Public Service Department,
John Anderson, said his
department, which represents
the public in front of the PSB,
had found a number of ob-
jections to CVPS's reasons for
the increase, which was first
proposed last December.
Among those objections,
according to Anderson, were:
-- investments the company
made to study a Burlington
power plant which were in-
eluded in the rate request;
-- money the company
invested in the defunct
Pilgrim If nuclear power
plant ($7.8 million, according
to Rushford);
CVPS's plan to reinvest
recoupment money was also
objectionable, according to
Anderson;
Anderson said CVPS had
"a lot of fat in their pur-
chasing budget" under the
terms of the increase.
Profits
The local people testifying
echoed these objections, some
presenting their own lists of
astonishing figures they said
showed that CVPS was
profiting at their expense.
Bradford resident and
Vermont Alliance member
Charlene Stebbins testified
saying, "They want us to pay
for their mistakes." Stebbins
and many others placed part
of the blame for high utility
rates on the PSB saying, "Ask
the PSB what they have done
to make the company recover
costs for shoddy work-
manship." Stebbins cited
repair costs, reportedly due to
faulty workmanship, from one
Vermont Yankee shutdown
that cost over $1 million.
Newbury resident Steve
Holt gave in his testimony a
lengthy discourse on
"phantom taxes" or projected
budget planning and on a
number of tax loopholes and
"incentives" the federal
government allows utilities.
He pointed out that Federal
law prohibits the passage of
most of these tax breaks to
ratepayers, a system
originally created to spawn
growth in the power industry
but that now encourages
utilities to profit at their
ratepayers expense, ac-
cording to Holt.
Stock is Up
This year, CVPS increased
its shareholders' earnings per
share by 63 percent.
Holt said, "It's like a
basketball game between
UVM and Bradford
Elementary . . . only the
referees keep throwing the
ball to UVM."
Bradford Mini-mart owner
Richard Fox testified that in
eight years electricity costs
for his store had risen from
$200 to $2000 per month.
Storeowner Bud Haas testified
that his electricity costs ex-
Ceeded separately that of his
mortgage and his inventory.
Both said another 25 percent
increase would be
"devastating" to their
businesses.
Helen Pierce Swetland
broke into tears while reading
her letter to the editor printed
in last week's Journal Opinion
to the PSB represen-
tatives--Rosalyn Hunneman,
PSB member and Enis Gid-
ney, an economist retained by
the board. Swetland said her
high utility bills had forced
her to divide up and sell part
of her property on Lake
Morey.
One elderly man testified
that he was unable to pay his
bills without periodically
selling off his dwindling
personal possessions. He told
the CVPS' and PSB
(please turn to page 8)
Haverhill board ponders school's
stated phil0sophv and objectives
WOODSVILLE-- The
Haverhill Cooperative School
Board approved--by one
vote--the newly developed
by MARGARET BURKE "Philosophy and Objectives" from parents and faculty, Smith replied to that
of Woodsy(lie High School at wrote the philosophy and charger "Everything in that
Parker has al00rnative to
the board's meeting Wed- objectives in preparation for paragraph is factual and
nesday, March24. the upcoming evaluation of neutral. ,We are describin
The three paragraph the scheol by the New England Woodsy(lie High School in the
philosophy and list of ten Association ' of Secondary context of the town it is in and
objectives (see adjoining box) *Schools and Colleges. The the students who attend it." It
were presented to the board Association is made up of was noted by the board that
by Monica Smith, Wondsville education professionals who much of the first paragraph is
High School math and science assess the total programs of based on the Town of
schools and decide whether or Haverhill's master plan. "The
not they will receive ac- words 'few,' 'limited,' and
credidation. 'considerable' show the town
Opposition to approval of in a negative light," Kimball
the philosophy was led by maintained.
board member Peter Kimball, Other Business
who objected to the tone of the In oLher business, the board
first paragraph, whiehhese approved the re(mist of John
as "negative." (please turn to page 7)
education sales
ST. JOHNSBURY-- Those raisiag about ,4 million.
who thought the House-
passed education aid sales
tax bill would sail through the
state's senate may get a
surprise today if Senator
Scudder Parker-D, Caledonia
County, announces a different
plan before the senate's
finance committee.
Parker told the Journal
Opinion last" week that he
would announce a plan to the
Senate Finance Committee on
Wednesday, March 31, that
calls for revenues generated
from other sources than the
state's sales tax.
Specifically, he is calling for
blockage of a pass-through of
federal income tax cuts, which
essentially means raising the
state income tax level. Parker
said this would produce about
$I0 million.
The new plan also calls for a
two percent increase on the
state's rooms and meals tax
raisfng another $a.2 million,
and an additional five cents
per pack increase on the
state's tax on cigarettes
Under the education bill
passed by the house, the state
would see a three to four
percent increase in its sales
tax.
Sa me Formula
"I support the formula laid
out that takes into account
income coming into the
community. The negative part
of the bill is the sales tax
which will hurt many towns in
our region because of our
proximity to New Hampshire,
which has no sales tax," said
Parker.
Parker said he had no plans
to change any of the amounts
that towns would receive for
aid to education under the
house-passed bill.
Under the education for-
muia that passed in the house,
state aid to education would
dramatically increase--
something many town and
school officials in the area say
they are looking forward to.
Discretionary Taxes
For example, under the new
(please turn to page 3)
tax bi// teacher and chairperson of the
steering committee, and
Richard Pike, an English
teacher at Woodsy(lie High
School who chaired the
philosophy committee.
These committees, asing
questionnaires and
discussions to gather input
Prime asricultural Act-250
dispute grows in Thetford
THETFORD--Bradford land Mal Gilbert, reportedly told SchonlCosts
developer George Huntington the environmental board that As to bow the town will
is seeking to subdivide a 23-
acre lot in Thetford into 11 lots
for houses. The problem is
that the lot has been
designated as prime
agricultural land.
Last Wednesday, the first
round of a District Environ-
mental Board hearing to
decide the matter got un-
derway. The case is already
being called a test case for a
section of Vermont's Act-250
that deals with prime
agricultural land and housing.
At the hearing last week two
sections out of Act-250's l0
the The(ford site under
dispute, located on the Lake
Fairlec Road, is "the largest
single chunk of prime
agricultural soil scheduled for
development that is literally
challenging Act-250, criteria 9-
b.$$
Carter is said to be arguing
that only six to seven acres of
the site would actually be
developed leaving roughly 15
acres still open to agriculture
for the future.
The site reportedly is open
land described as "virtually
flat" with one house currently
benefit from the development,
both sides seem to agree the
town may lose out if the homes
are built.
Carter estimates the
proposed development would
net the town roughly $15#00
per year in tax revenue, or
$1,500 per house. But the
annual education cost to the
town based on 1.5 children per
house would be about $22,000,
he said.
Thetford Zoning
Administrator Rick Hoffman
says the figure for tax revenue
per house might be closer to
Mountain Lakes bu'00 criteria were the focus of
arguments presented by the
ski area chairlift
100 attend annua/meet/n00
by MARGARET BURKE
MT. LAKES-- Mountain
Lakes, the district of the Town
of Haverhill, N.H., that last
October purchased the
Monteau ski area, has
deepened its involvement in
the winter sport with a vote at
the annual District Meeting to
purchase the double chair lift
that serves the mountain.
Voters at Mountain Lakes'
annual District Meeting
March 20 approved article IV
of the district warrant, which
stated the price of the Thiokill
brand lift -- O,O00.O0--and
provided for the borrowing ot
needed funds "by the issuance
of bonds and-or notes under
the New Hampshire Municipal
Finance Act."
Mountain Lakes had been
leasing the lift from the
Monteau Ski Area, Inc. since
October, 1981. Of the
municipal venture into the
recreational skiing business,
district and ski area manager
Diane Rappa said, "We've
had a profitable season and
are looking forward to another
one next year."
One hundred people at-
tended the Saturday evening
meeting, of whom 35 were
registered district voters and
the remaining 65 mostly
Mountain Lakes home owners
whose voting residences are
elsewhere.
Rappa noted that 35 voters
is a turnout of 50 percent,
since there are only 70
registered voters in the
district. Mountain Lakes
includes 175 homes scattered
around two man-made lakes
and the ski area.
Thirty-two of the homes
house residents full-time, year
'round.
District Officers
At the annual meeting,
Jerry Johnson was re-elected
to the office of Commissioner,
a three-year term. Gwendolyn
Henderson was re-elected for
a one-year term to the office of
treasurer. Christine L.
Chamherland was re-elected
(please turn to page 3)
two sides of the issue. The
sections specifically cover the
proposed development's
financial impact on the town
and its impact on prime
agricultural soil--sections 9-a
and 9-b in criteria number
nine.
Arguing Huntington's side
in the case is project engineer
Robert Carter of Corinth. On
the other side, trying to stop
development on the lot, is a
neighboring farmer who
raises crops next to the lot,
several town officials and
representatives from the
Vermont Environmental
Conservation Commission and
the U.S. Soil Conservation
Service (SCS).
Test Case
The SCS representative,
on the lot.
(please turn to page 2)
Bradford selectmen name
residents to .fill posts
BRADFORD-- Bradford
selectmen last week made
appointments for a number of
town positions including the
reinstatement of P. Charles
Brainerd to serve as their
chairman. Last week's
meeting was their first official
session since town meeting on
March 2.
The selectmen--Brainerd,
John Gibbs and Leonard
Dobbins--quickly reviewed
their balance and expenses for
the coming year, agreeing
that it might he tough to hold
expenses down to within the
town budget.
But as bobbins said later in
the meeting, "The mood of the
voters is to cut taxes and to
hold down our budgets.., and
that's what we're going to do."
Moving on to appointing
townspeople to various town
organizations, the selectmen
named Susan Spaulding as
town service officer--a
psotion tponsibte for ad-
ministering town aid such as
fuel aid assistance. For town
representatives to the library,
the selectmen appointed John
Sanborn and Bruce Stevens.
Carolyn Jefts was named as
(please turn to page 8)
Budget held m 5 nercent increase
Haverhill voters okay school budget
N. HAVERHILL-- Town of This year's estimate is about term arguing budget matters director spot left vacant since
Haverhill voters met at the eight percent higher, with the district's superin- school board member Stephen
James R. Morrill School on However, an exact figure tendents and is an advocate of Elliot resigned last summer,
Thursday, March 18 where for the amount to be raised in lower budgets and lower the voters elected Grafton
they electedschoolofficersfor taxes cannot officially be taxes. Kimball will serve County Correctional Center
positions open this year and determined until the end of the another three years. Director Ernest Towne.
approved a budget that is up school's fiscal year this Attorney Karl T. Bruckner Other Matters
about five percent over last summer--and then the figure became moderator at the Voters also approved two
year's school budget, is determined and set by the meeting even though he lost articles which will authorize
This year's Haverhill New Hampshire Department his election bid to Archie the school board to apply for
Cooperative School District of RevenueAdministration. Steenbtirgh. According to funds through grants anti
budget stands at $1,809,528 as School Elections assistant superintendent other sources.
compared to $1,714,124.10 last N. Haverhill farmer Peter Harold Haskins, state law In addition, they approved
year. Kimball was re-elected to the required that Steenburgh an article authorizing the
A projected figure for the school board by a write-in forfeit the election becausehe district to allocate 50 percent
amount to be raised for the campaign. He had announced was elected this year as the of the surplus from t981-82
school budget by taxes this his decision not to seek town's moderator. The law toward the district's Capital
year was given as $1,094,179. another term to the school reportedly says you cannot be Reserve Fund. This amount is
Last year's figure "to be board in December. Kimball both. not to exceed $I0,000, ac-
raised in taxes was $1,009,499. spent much of his previous For the one-year school cording tothearticle.
