Vision mapping a downtown mecca for commerce, community

The above rendering by UK Architects of Hanover is one of several unveiled recently to the Downtown Committee showing what could be done with a parcel of town-owned property that is currently a decrepit, underused parking lot. The row of red buildings could be retail space or a conference hotel. The tree-lined structure to the right is a two-story parking garage the size of a football field, and the roof could actually be used as a recreational field or skate park. The town’s existing bike path runs to the left of the red buildings and connects at the far end with the town’s Little League field. Other configurations included a possible gym/fitness center or space for a grocer or cafe, and vendor booths along the bike path to house the newly launched farmers market.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Maybe it's true, that you can't always get what you want. But as disciples of Oprah will tell you, “the law of attraction” and making your own destiny begin with having a clear and concrete vision, preferably on paper.

So when Stu Arnett presented a series of renderings depicting how a parcel of town land might look if it were developed as a hub of activity and parking, everyone knew it was more of a vision quest than a blueprint.

Still, the idea of a two-story parking garage with a green roof that doubles as an athletic field backing up to a three-story hotel with a conference center, gym, cafe, whole foods grocer and high-tech office complex, all spilling out to the existing Rail Trail bike path, scattered with vendor booths for the downtown farmer's market faithful and coinciding with a pedestrian walkway that leads directly to the Little League Field, is hard not to get excited about.

“The plans were exciting, mainly because they show a vision of what might be,” said Gordon Graham, chair of the Downtown Committee. “It shows how a fairly large parcel could be developed in stages to help the downtown grow. It's preliminary, but exciting.”

Currently Abbott Court is a parking area just off West Broadway that is rarely used except for spillover from the Halligan Tavern or nearby apartments. Over time, police have patrolled the area after reports of teens “partying” in the corners of the weedy lot.

A steep stairway leads up from the lot to the bike path, creating enough of a slope that architects were able make creative use of the space.

If the right customer came along – perhaps a hotel chain – looking for some downtown real estate, it's a visionary map that could certainly become reality, said Stu Arnett, who is contracted by the town to work on economic development projects.

“We've already started to look for grant sources. In that case, we'd need to get some help from the town to get it moving. The town would be responsible for roads and walkways and the private side would take care of the building,” said Arnett.

Arnett conceded that every ambitious project begins with a vision, but he stressed that the purpose of the renderings is to see something actually come of it.

“There are all sorts of possibilities. It's a huge parcel, and right now it's under used. The drawings show that any number of things could work – and they also give you a sense of what might not work,” said Arnett. “For example, if you build up too much along the bike path, it begins to feel closed in. You would lose that sense of openness. Finding the balance, and the right combination of elements, is what we're striving for.”

Graham will act as liaison to the Economic Development Task Force, still assembling members, which the council last week approved as a way to bring together various committees and boards already involved in other projects. The idea is to create a “big tent” committee that will work toward particular unified goals.

Development of Abbot Court could be one of them.

Council Chair Brad Benson, who is a liaison to the Downtown Committee, said he was impressed with the ideas presented by Arnett.

“It gets people thinking creatively and provides a baseline for the biggest thinking we can have in our community. It's definitely going to create some movement at Abbot Court, at the least, to fix up the parking lot,” Benson said. “It's nice to have a blueprint, even if only conceptual, to help us move in the right direction.”

SHE'S HARVESTING THE SUN

Ann Byers at home with her new solar tree.

DERRY FIRM HELPS NEWTON FAMILY'S SOLAR DREAM COME TRUE.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

NEWTON – Ann Byers is walking on sunshine. She's also using it to power every appliance in her house, now that all her solar dreams have come true.

Baking potatoes in a solar oven..

“I attended the first Earth Day in 1970. I remember the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the oil crisis in 1979 with Jimmy Carter, and the gas lines. Back then, I wanted solar power so badly, but it was a technology that was out of reach for most people. Now, it's right in my back yard,” said Byers, practically misty over the blue-and-silver solar tree that has become the MVP of her 50-acre family tree farm.

“Isn't it beautiful?,” she says, watching the afternoon sun drench the 14-panel solar photovoltaic array looming in her yard in what's called a grid-tie connection – it turns sunshine into electricity through an inverter, which feeds directly into her electrical system. On the sunniest of days, if the panel absorbs maximum energy, her meter will spin backwards, as it did last week, feeding excess solar energy back into the grid.

It's something Byers refers to as having a “LITINU” day – that's Unitil spelled backwards – on her daily blog, Harvesting the Sun, where she is chronicling her experiences living solar.

Brian Pellerin, a principal with Freedom Renewable Energy in Derry, predicts Byers will probably never pay another electric bill.

“Ann is unique in that she is doing a lot of other things to live green and reduce her energy consumption. But anyone can realize dramatic savings by going solar,” said Pellerin.

His company, established in 2007, is relatively new in a rapidly growing and competitive field of alternative energy providers. Using solar science, Pellerin's crew will give a free estimate of the viability of going solar by using a Solar Pathfinder, a globe-shaped instrument that can actually show down to the hour, how much sun your property gets every day of the year.

“For the first two years we guarantee the amount of savings you'll realize, and if not, we will pay you the difference,” Pellerin said. “We try and make the investment foolproof.”

That was the beginning of what impressed Byers so much. She knew she wanted to go solar, but in learning about how efficient – and affordable – the new technology is, she was moved to launch the blog in the hope that others will join her on the sunshine express.

“I called around for the longest time, but I couldn't get anyone to come out to my house to even see if it was doable. You don't know how frustrating that was, or how much this means to me, to be relying on the sun to power my home,” said Byers.

In dollars and cents, the cost of solar is about $8 per watt installed, said Pellerin. So using Byers' 14-panel 3,000-kilowatt array as an example, the cost on paper was $24,000. Minus the 30 percent federal tax credit being offered as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, Byers will get back about $8,000 from the government, plus another $6,000 rebate check from the state, bringing her total investment down to about $10,000.

“And given her electric savings, Ann's system will pay for itself within about five years,” Pellerin said.

Such incentives are meant to spur a burgeoning industry, Pellerin said. The federal tax rebate is good through 2016, and the state rebate is drawn from quarterly cap-and-trade auctions which fund the state's renewable energy program.

In addition, newly-passed legislation known as PACE, or Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing, will make renewable energy more affordable for everyone, Pellerin said. Under PACE, municipalities will lend money to property owners to install an energy efficiency project which is then repaid through a rider on the property owner's taxes.

Byers said her journey began with baby steps. Although her mind and and spirit have always been Earth friendly, it took a while for Byers' lifestyle to catch up.

“I wasn't even composting,” she says in hushed tones, unable to mask the shame she feels for her lapse in garbage collecting.

In a former life she living in a condo with her husband, Harry, and teen-aged daughter, half of a two-car family working in marketing for a major money center bank. Then her job was moved to Boston, which meant a longer commute and more time away from home.

“My husband begged me not to buy another pizza for dinner. It had become a quality of life issue,” Byers said.

So 20 years ago she became a stay-home mom, got involved in her community, joined the Master Gardener group through UNH Cooperative Extension and got involved with the family tree farm, mostly white pines, which she took on after moving back into her childhood home in Newton.

“We do good forestry management. It's helped me get rooted in the earth,” said Byers.

She composts everything she can, and uses a Solar Oven to bake things outside between April and October. They h installed a wood-burning cook stove in the kitchen, which heats the entire house, and an induction cook top which cooks more efficiently without generating heat. They have replaced every light bulb with compact fluorescents, and recently invested in a Sundanzer refrigerator and freezer, which will run off a DC battery powered by the sunshine she's harvesting.

Their old hot-water heater was replaced three years ago with one that's “on demand,” eliminating the holding tank of preheated water, and her old oil tank is rusting in the basement, a monument to how carbon neutral she's become.

“This is all the process of a dream for me,” said Byers. But I'm not just on a personal mission. It's an American thing to do, a patriotic thing to do. As a country, we have to get away from fossil fuel. Otherwise, what kind of earth are we leaving to our children? Forty years ago we were moving in the right direction. It's taken a while to get back to the point where people are excited again about solar energy, but it's happening.”

On the web: www.harvestingthesun.blogspot.com
www.freedomrenewable.com

Pinkerton graduates 782 under sunny skies

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – It took more than 782 diplomas to graduate Pinkerton Academy's Class of 2010 yesterday. It also required parking spaces for about 5,000 people, maybe half a dozen police officers directing traffic and a large collection of inflatable beach balls to punctuate every speech and award presentation with jubilation.

As family and friends made their way into the Pinkerton football stadium for the 10:30 a.m. ceremony, seniors lined up two-by-two, waiting for the familiar strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” to officially launch the academy's192^nd commencement.

Salutatorian Lexi Hamsmith was introduced by Beverly Lannon, Dean of Faculty, who described a young woman who had overcome much adversity and worked hard to achieve academic and personal excellence. Hamsmith moved 15 times in her life before landing at Pinkerton as a sophomore, an experience that taught her how to interact with others with a heightened sense of compassion and understanding.

In her prepared remarks, Hamsmith spoke about how as students their individual lives have been like puzzles constructed of pieces contributed by parents, teachers and peers. Graduation marks the beginning of self-definition, said Hamsmith.

“We finally have the chance to break through the restrictions others have placed on us. Today is the day that we are no longer enclosed by the pieces others have given us and we are granted freedom in the discovery of ourselves,” Hamsmith said.

Class Valedictorian Kelly Glynn touched on the push and pull seniors feel, between academics and social life, as they approach the high school finish line, and the balancing act that will continue, throughout college and the rest of their lives.

“Farewell to the Class of 2010. May each of you find that balance which gives you the most happiness,” Glynn said.

Leading up to diploma time, several students were recognized for their achievements – in total, the senior class received $7.9 million in awards and scholarships, the largest single amount going to Jake Hawkins, who received a four-year Department of the Air Force Scholarship worth $414,000, and will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy's officer training program in Colorado.

Many seniors passed the time between arriving at school and entering the stadium by seeking shade as the mercury climbed toward 90. Ben Proulx found a grassy patch of turf where he listened to music on his iPods.

“Right now? I'm listening to Jack Johnson, 'Upside Down,” said Proulx, who will play football and study criminal justice as a college freshman at Sacred Heart University.

Daniel Rainieri Jr. just wanted to make sure he did something memorable on his last official day of school, so he mounted his mortarboard onto a viking helmet.

“It's a good landmark so we can tell our parents how to find us in the crowd,” said Samantha Robichaud, walking in front of Rainieri. She said she's still contemplating her immediate future, but hopes to travel the world.

“It feels like just the other day we were in second grade, and now here we are,” said Robichaud. “It's been the best four years of my life.”

Pit bull had charged puppy before

After a previous close call, Tony Desisto carried his gun whenever he took his  puppy outside, concerned the neighborhood pit bull might return.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – It wasn't the first time the neighbor's pit bull had charged Tony Desisto's puppy. That's why he happened to have a 9mm Springfield XD pistol with him when, on Sunday night, the pit bull returned.

“I was out in the yard with Obi and my girlfriend was up on the porch when the pit bull came running over. He stopped at the end of the driveway, and she yelled every command she could think of – no, leave, go. The dog just stood there for about 10 seconds, then he charged,” said Desisto.

It was just enough time for Desisto to get the puppy close to him, as he'd been told to do during a puppy-training session at Petco.

The pit bull grabbed the 14-week-old beagle by the neck. Desisto, still holding his puppy on a short leash, pulled out his pistol and fired a warning shot over the pit bull's head.

“I was trying to scare him, but it didn't phase him at all. So I fired three more shots at the dog,” said Desisto. “The first two didn't do anything, but after the third one he let go and sort of limped over there.”

Desisto pointed toward a patch of grass in his yard where some dried blood was being swarmed by flies.

“I was trying not to hit Obi, or myself. Everything was happening right at my feet. But Obi was freaking out, and I could see he was bleeding. I've had my hunting license for three years, and this was the first time I've actually ever shot at anything,” Desisto said.

“After the third shot the dog kind of scampered into the yard. I feel bad about it; I killed someone's pet. But I felt like we did everything we could to prevent it. Obi didn't have a chance against a 70-pound pit bull, Desisto said.”

Desisto's girlfriend called police after the shooting. Some of the neighbors on surrounding streets yesterday said they heard the commotion, but figured it was fireworks.

“I was kind of surprised none of my neighbors came outside. By the time the police arrived, the pit bull was dead. It didn't have any tags on, so actually, the police had to go knocking on doors. They weren't certain where it belonged,” Desisto said.

Desisto's puppy suffered bite marks on the top of its neck and on its throat, and is being treated with antibiotics.

Desisto's first encounter with the pit bull happened May 5, not long after he first brought the puppy home.

“Obi and I were in the yard and I guess the pit bull heard the jingling of his collar and came running over. He went right after the puppy, but I was able to scoop him up with one hand. Then the dog went after me. Since then, I've been carrying the gun,” Desisto said. “I've seen him loose a few times, but I'm not really sure what happened Sunday.”

He said he has not had contact with the pit bull's owner, whose name was not released by police.

Other neighbors in the area said they were sympathetic to both Desisto and the pit bull's owner, saying that the loss of a pet is always difficult. But this particular pit bull occasionally got loose and at times, seemed menacing. The dog was isolated and did not seem to get regular exercise, said one neighbor, who did not want to be identified.

“It's a shame. They never walked the dog,” said the neighbor. “But please don't quote me on that; I have to live here, too.”

Derry Animal Control Officer Marlene Bishop said she had not prior complaints on the pit bull, except for a prior barking complaint.

“Not all pit bulls are bad. We're trying to get away from that idea, that they're bad. They do have a powerful bite, that is the biggest problem – when you wrangle with a pit bull someone's gonna get hurt,” Bishop said.

She noted that she had just locked up a pit bull yesterday morning, who had bitten a woman on the back of the leg, and released another pit bull who was under a 10-day quarantine after biting another dog.

“I was not on duty Sunday, but in this case, I'm not sure it was a matter of negligence as much as it was a matter of lack of training. You have to train all dogs, especially a dog like that,” Bishop said.

Desisto said Obi is his first puppy –currently in training as a hunting dog. His last dog was a pit bull-dalmatian mix.

“That dog was an aggressive dog. He was a shelter dog. I knew he didn't like other dogs, or people. So he never left the house except on a leash, and we never took him to the dog park. He lived to be 14, and he was a good dog, but he couldn't be trusted,” Desisto said.

“So I do know something about pit bulls. That's why I decided to start keeping my gun with me. I'm just thankful it was me with Obi, and not my girlfriend or my downstairs neighbor, who has a small dog too. And I'm glad I didn't have my 8-month-old in my other arm, like I do sometimes,”Desisto said. “I don't know what I would've done then.”

Wood artist Binh Pho brings art and craft to Derry workshop

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Sisters Marie and Leda Drouin watch intently as master wood turner Binh Pho demonstrates the fine art of airbrushing, a technique that in and of itself is not unusual.

But applied to his handcrafted works of wooden whimsy, the outcome is exquisite – like the delicately detailed teacups with detachable filigree handles and demitasse spoons, decorated with dragonflies and peacock feathers, respective symbols for luck and dreams in his homeland of Vietnam.

“In this piece, the dragonfly is playing with the poppy – the whole piece is like a playground for the dragonfly,” said Pho, gently turning a cup around in his hand to show off the colorized detail.

There is ebb and flow in every design – the golden dragonfly painted on wood is yin; its mirror image, pierced into the wood using a fine-point dental drill, is yang.

“That's what I love, the positive and negative of an image,” said Pho, who spent last weekend demonstrating his technique to a dozen members of the Association of Revolutionary Turners, a Massachusetts-based wood turning club. Donna Zils Banfield, of Derry, hosted the event in her studio.

“The people who came got an opportunity to study techniques from one of the best in the field, an opportunity they wouldn't have without traveling to a school that offers such courses,” said Banfield, who gave up a successful law practice to turn wood, full time.

Impressive as that sounds, Banfield admits few success stories are as inspired as Pho's.

In the wake of so-called “Red Peace” that followed the Vietnam War, Pho was forced to leave school in 1975. His choice was to join the Communists or go to re-education school to be brainwashed into becoming a Communist.

He chose freedom – a journey that would take four more years and several failed attempts at escape. But finally, Pho reached the United States by way of Malaysia and was reunited with his family. Thirty years later, he is recognized as one of the finest wood artists in the country. His work is on exhibit in museums around the country and part of private collections around the world, including the White House and the Smithsonian.

Banfield said what she admires most about Pho's work is the depth of skill he's mastered, by trial and error.

“He may spend an hour on a lathe to turn a piece, but then put in another 50 or 60 hours doing the intricate work – work that takes tremendous focus. Binh can create something so delicate-looking from wood you might think that if the wind blew it over, it would shatter. Yet, it's more durable than a piece of china,” Banfield said.

Pho spent Saturday creating several pieces using the various techniques he employs to work wood into impossible shapes, further enhanced with designs that tell a story. Sunday, Pho was overseeing a workshop on airbrush and piercing, patiently explaining the various ways to get the most color and control when detailing small spaces.

Club member Bobbi Tornheim of Lexington, Mass., who gained some insight into piercing as she created a butterfly on wood out of strategically drilled holes, took it all in.

“I'm not a teachable person by nature. I learn more by doing, but I came because Binh is world known. I don't do workshops, but this is like – this is like hanging out with Picasso – like learning with the master,” said Tornheim. “I may be able to replicate some of the things I learned when I go home, but mainly, I just wanted to be able to say that I spent a day in his presence, learning how he does what he does.”

Greenhouse growing is a gas

Tom Venhaus waters the sprouts.

STUDENTS PREP FOR ANNUAL ALUMNI PLANT SALE

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Nothing is coming up roses for Tom Venhaus – mostly because there are no rose bushes growing in the Pinkerton Academy greenhouse. However, the Jet Star tomatoes are out of this world, and the impatiens are wasting no time as they progress from seedling to spectacular.

This particular day, Venhaus is spending the first part of his Greenhouse Management class watering the neatly planted rows and pots brimming with plantlife – from Red Soldier perennial astilbe to and Curly Wurly to several varieties of chili peppers and cucumbers.

Watering is crucial at this stage of the game, said teacher Michelle Nadeau. Pinkerton Academy's Horticulture Technology curriculum is one of several offerings within the Career and Technical Education program. Her students learn the art and science of plants.

“And I sneak in some math – like fertilzer ratios,” Nadeau said. “Kids sometimes wonder how they'll ever use something like that in real life, and ferilizer ratios is a direct application.”

The greenhouse heats up fast on sunny spring days and the seedlings are loving in, sucking nutrients and moisture from their little peat pods with great purpose, in an effort to be all they can be.

Jessie Wasner has been given a list of plants. One of the social studies teachers has placed a large order and he is hoping to take his seedlings home before spring vacation. As she gathers up his plants, Wasner discovers that Tiny Tim tomatoes would be hard to discern from Tumbling Toms, without good labeling. Fortunately her fellow students have that covered. Laminated signs are placed with their corresponding crop of seedlings, to keep the plants in order – and to inform the plant-buying public.

Everything will go on sale the week after school vacation at dirt cheap prices – $3 potted perennials and herbs, and vegetables $4 a dozen.

“We're doing mock sales today. They're getting used to the cash registers and practicing talking to people,” said Nadeau. “I say it every year, because it's true: they get a great sense of pride in this whole experience. It's like having their own business.”

Many students go on to UNH's Thompson School of Applied Science, which offers two- and four-year programs. Wasner and Venhaus have other career goals – she is thinking about graphic design, and he is interested in criminal justice.

Still, none of this is wasted on them.

“It's a life skill,” said Nadeau. “And I try to get a wide variety of plants – some of them exotic – so that they have exposure to all kinds of plants. Like these,” she says, stroking the tendrils of a juncus effusus, aka corkscrew rush, aka curly wurly, a decorative grass that prevents erosion.

Meredith firm hired to find new town administrator

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – The search for a new town administrator is officially on, after the council voted Tuesday night to hire a New Hampshire consulting firm to get the job done.

Municipal Resources Inc. of Meredith was chosen to handle the executive search to replace Gary Stenhouse, who has resigned effective July 1.The vote was 5-1-1, with Councilor Janet Fairbanks abstaining and Councilor Kevin Coyle voting against the recommendation made by Human Resources Director Larry Budreau.

Budreau told the council that seven proposals had been received by the Feb. 26 deadline, including two Massachusetts firms, a Connecticut-based company and consulting firms from Texas, and Washington, D.C.

The only other New Hampshire consultant in the mix was Concord-based Local Government Center, which underbid all the others by nearly $5,000. Budreau said he ruled them out first because he said their bid did not include what he felt was a vital aspect of the search: working with the town to formulate a well-defined job description and recruitment plan.

Coyle argued that the town should be able to make use of its own resources to pull together a candidate profile and pocket the $5,000 savings. He requested that the council at least interview some of the more local firms before ruling them out.

“We're all smart people up here, we can put a profile together of a canddate we'd like and the attibutes we'd like to have,” Coyle said.

Budreau reminded the council that efforts made in the hiring of the last two town administrators required a lot of time and work gathering and synthesizing information.

“People paint a picture of the perfect candidate that they want, then I or someone goes looking for that someone to fit the description. In my assessment of this town's and this council's needs now, painting that picture is something we could use help with, and that's not part of the services being offered by the Local Government Center.”

Coyle questioned whether Budreau had asked if the Local Government Center would be willing to conduct such a service. Budreau said he had not.

From there, other councilors weighed in, pointing to the July 1 target date for a new hire, which already has lapsed to under 90 days.

Councilor Joel Olbricht said he felt it might be hard for the council members to be impartial, adding that the council could still steer a consulting firm in any particular direction, once hired.

“We need to get into this process and get it done,” Olbricht said.

Councilor Neil Wetherbee agreed with Olbricht.

“This is something we've got a deadline on. I believe to a certain degree you get what you pay for,” Wetherbee said. He pointed out that MRI's proposal included a generous clause that, should a new hire quit or be fired within 18 months, the firm would conduct a new search at cost.

“And given our track record, I think that's significant,” Wetherbee said, alluding to the town's high turnover rate of administrators in the past 20 years.

Councilor Brian Chirichiello supported moving the process forward with a vote.

“We're under the gun here. Gary's leaving in July, we've got budgets coming up, we're going to be straight out for the next two months,” Chirichiello said.

The council's discussion required two 10-minute extensions before wrapping up just before 10:30 p.m. with the vote.

As a result of the majority decision, MRI will begin the search for a new town administrator at a cost of $12,500 to the town.

Arrested Development

Jon Sobel says he will fight neighbors pushing to rezone his neighborhood and block him from developing his land.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Jonathan Sobel wants to develop his 4-acre lot, a woodsy stretch of land on dead-end Wilson Avenue that he's owned for 25 years. It crests on a hill just behind Birch Street, bordered on one side by Oak Street and, on the other, by the town's chief of police.

Sobel's plan for development fits well within the current zoning of the area, medium-high density residential. However, if his neighbors succeed in a push to change the zoning to prohibit multi-family homes, Sobel's plan is dead in the water.

Sobel is crying foul, and is willing to fight the town all the way to court, if need be.

“What these neighbors are saying is they live in an idyllic neighborhood, close to the best the downtown has to offer, protected by a large tract of open space – and they don't want anyone else to be able to live there. The Master Plan calls for maximum density housing, which puts people within walking distance of city services and businesses,” said Sobel. “It's personal – and it doesn't help that the chief of police is a direct abutter to my property.”

Sobel, an orthopedic surgeon who lives in Portsmouth and runs several medical offices including one on Windham Road in Derry, has plans for two 10-unit buildings. Four years ago Sobel hired an engineer and began in earnest to develop a blueprint. Sidetracked for a time by a down economy, Sobel has spent the past two years making adjustments to his plan, trying to keep up with changing state and local requirements for wetlands and easements.

In September, Sobel and his engineer, Charlie Pearson, thought they'd satisfied town requirements and cleared the final hurdle on their way to a technical plan review and groundbreaking. Around the same time, his neighbors were circulating a petition and collected 72 signatures, which they delivered to the Planning Board, requesting a change to the current zoning. The change would affect 68 particular properties east of Birch Street, restricting construction of multi-family dwellings on existing lots, including Sobel's.

Last month, the rezoning request was unanimously approved by the Planning Board, prompted by a petition circulated by two of Sobel's Wilson Avenue neighbors – Christopher Lunetta and Blanche Garone, wife of the town's long-time chief of police, Ed Garone.

Several residents, including the Garones, attended the March 3 meeting to voice their strong support for rezoning, citing preservation of the historic character of the neighborhood and fear of increased traffic should someone come in, buy up several lots and build apartments.

Tonight, the the proposed rezoning comes before the council as a consent item. They will schedule a public hearing on the matter. In the meantime, Sobel is preparing to fight for what he says is his right to develop his property as it has existed for years – in a high density residential zone.

Town Planner George Sioras would only speak generally about the rezoning request, saying that because the matter might end up in court, he wouldn't get into specifics.

“It's in one of the two oldest neighborhoods in town, and is primarily single homes, but there are some multi-family in there, which would be grandfathered,” Sioras said.

He cited a similar rezoning effort in a nearby neighborhood known as Nortonville, across from Parkland Hospital.

In that case, property owner and Derry business man, Mark Cooper, was working toward building a multi-family unit. Similarly, residents petitioned the town to rezone from high density residential to high density residential II, which restricts multi-family buildings. Cooper's plan failed. His property sits dormant.

Contacted yesterday, Cooper said it's appropriate to ask why an entire neighborhood should be rezoned when the very buildings they seek to prohibit already exist there legally.

“Rezoning isn't a tool the government gives people so they can spot zone properties in their neighborhoods. That's what they did to me – they knew I was developing and were well organized against me. They went in and took my bundle of rights as a property owner away from me by rezoning a property that had been there for years,” Cooper said. “I took about $350,000 on the chin in that deal. It's terrible, what they did to me, and it's not right if they are trying to do it to someone else.”

When asked about Sobel's plan, Chief Garone said Sobel is entitled to his opinion about why he thinks the neighborhood is against him, but disputes that the rezoning is meant to target him specifically.

“There are 72 signatures on the petition, and I didn't collect one of them,” Garone said. “A lot of people just want to preserve the integrity of our neighborhood. It's a nice neighborhood. The thing is, if he builds apartments on that land, Dr. Sobel doesn't have to live there; we do.”

HOT CHICKS!

More people than ever are discovering their inner chicken farmer.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Today's discriminating consumer is looking for a happy, prolific chicken, says Deborah Reddeck, resident chicken expert for Blue Seal feed stores.

Reddeck knows chickens. She owns 25 of her own, and has for more than a decade. Recently Reddeck ran a community workshop for people in various stages of chicken ownership – from the dedicated backyard chicken farmer to those still exploring their inner poultry purveyor.

What they all have in common, said Reddeck, is that they recognize the wisdom of owning a backyard flock, particularly in this economy.

Heather Flannery and son, Damian.

“There are really two things going on right now  – on one hand, you have people interested in saving money. They are following the victory gardening trend and trying to reconnect with agriculture and the environment. Chickens not only make eggs, but they provide compost. But the other thing we're seeing is that it's also part of the wholesome food effort; people want to make sure they're putting healthy food in their bodies,” Reddeck said. “They're becoming more suspicious of the industrial food supply and are interested in self-sufficiency.”

Current sales figures support her thesis – hatcheries are selling out and dealers can't keep up with orders, said Reddeck. Ever since the sign out front of the Derry Blue Seal started advertising it was time to order spring chicks, the orders have been non-stop.

“Last year we ordered about 500 chicks. This year, we expect orders to be up even more,” said Samantha Lang, who has been working at the Crystal Avenue feed supply chain for two years.

“Something new this year is that we're offering fancy layers – people are getting interested in birds with hundreds of different colored feathers that lay all different colored eggs,” said Lang.

It's a trend you can thank Martha Stewart for, said Micky Ridgway, a fourth-generation supplier at Ridgway Hatchery in LaRue, Ohio, which fills local Blue Seal orders.

Aracaunas, sometimes called the Easter egg chicken, will lay eggs in shades of blue, green and rose, said Ridgway – and are among the most popular chicks ordered locally through Blue Seal.

“Beyond the novelty, I believe once people find out how relatively easy and inexpensive it is to raise chickens, they start to explore the different breeds and actually get excited about having interesting or exotic chickens,” Ridgway said.

Heather Flannery is broadening her breed horizons  this yea. She's ordered a dozen baby chicks, all different varieties. Last spring was her first brush with chicken farming, and she and her kids still love everything about the hobby – except for the occasional heartbreak.

“Something got Professor McGonagall the other day. She was our big chicken, a cochin,” said Flannery, who refers to her surviving hens as “the girls.”

“We named them all after the female characters in Harry Potter, so we still have Hermoine, Tonks, Hedwig, Ginny and Moaning Myrtle,” Flannery said.

This season she's tripling the flock and going beyond layers to include dual purpose chickens – hens that lay eggs and can then be roasted up for dinner.

“I'm hoping some of them will look enough alike that I won't get too attached to them,” Flannery said. “I'm trying to be more conscious of what we're eating as a family. I just feel good about getting our eggs fresh anytime we want them.”

That is exactly what keeps Gary Lynch communing with his chicken flock after seven years of egg collecting.

“I look at it as being able to enjoy living with nature. Plus, I'm afraid they do some strange things to the eggs you get from the store. Here, it's straight from the chicken to your mouth. When I get extra, I share them with neighbors and friends,” Lynch said.

He got started chicken farming during a previous marriage, as a way to get involved with his stepkids and share a hobby. It was a lot of fun, and taught everyone about the circle of life, especially if a hawk found its way into the hen house.

When the marriage broke up, Lynch took his half of the flock and went on his way.

“You wake up in the morning and go outside, see if they need water, collect some eggs and then just sit there with your coffee in front of the cage. I'm looking at them, they're looking at me. It's better than HDTV,” said Lynch.

For Christina Grover, chicken farming is part of her long range plan to be self-sufficient. She attended the Blue Seal workshop to see what she needed to do to be ready to raise chickens. She will spend this summer plotting where to put the coop and how many chickens to invest in.

“There's a certain way we live now, and a certain way I think we were meant to live. We've gotten so far from the way we were meant to live in this culture. So, given the way money is right now, and how things are in the world, I feel like I have to make some changes. In fact, I just planted some seeds. I'm expanding my garden this year, too,” said Grover.

She said parenthood has changed her world view. She graduated from college with a degree in history and planned to work in a museum. Instead, she became a mother. Then, September 11^th happened. Then, came their second child.

“I've survived cancer, three years ago. Yeah, a lot has changed in my life in a short period of time, but reality has hit pretty hard. If I could buy a farm tomorrow, I would. My husband is a software engineer and he totally supports me in my urge to take care of my family on my own. We're not crazy green people; we're just trying to think of ways not to have to rely so much on the world,” Grover said.

“I walked into the Blue Seal for dog food when I saw the sign, about chicks. I took it as a sign, literally, and plan to do it next spring,” Grover said. “It's part of my long-term plan, to have chickens and eggs – maybe goats and goat cheese. Chickens will be a good start.”

Drew Road project may be fast-tracked

Virginia Stefanilo watches workers who tried to fix a crushed culvert near her home.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Virginia Stefanilo is tired of fighting with the town about the need for a new culvert next to her home on Drew Road.

Fortunately for her, the last two storms were so devastating, the needed repair – currentky scheduled for sometime in 2012 – may be fast-tracked to this fall.

“I want to show you how much land I've lost here,” said Stefanilo, pointing to the barren dirt next to her home. “It used to be a pine forest. It used to be so lovely.”

Last week's torrential rains filled the swamp behind her home beyond its limit. Rushing water poured from the brook, washing out the road and threatening the home of her across-the-street neighbor, Jodi Salerno, who has her own frustrations.

Jodi Salerno shows a photo of her home during the flood.

Salerno's home is currently encircled by piles of sandbags. Her front yard is ruddy mounds of dirt. Her side yard is a crater large enough to swallow a car. The rush to save her home every time the spring rains come, and the residual flood damage that follows, is getting old.

“The water was rushing up to the house and my husband was scrambling to get the sandbags out, and a fire fighter came up to us and said we should just walk away, just take our belongings and let it go,” said Salerno, the disbelief still lingering in her voice. “They offered to help us move some furniture to the second floor, but they told us there was nothing they could do to stop the water.”

Salerno and Stefanilo see it differently. They believe the town needs to raise the road and build a proper bridge, or at least replace the inadequate culvert with one that can handle the flow of water that has been creating real problems since 1996. That's when new construction on Hampstead Road seemed to trigger unmanageable flooding in Derry, said Stefanilo.

A worker stands on the crushed culvert yesterday.

Yesterday a crew of about six workers with backhoes and trucks climbed down from the road to take a look at the culvert, which was crushed in on one side from the force of the water. The fill from underneath the road was washed out, and the road was visibly sagging by about three inches. It has been closed to traffic since the storm.

Highway Department Director Alan Cote said the rain expected last night through today was not going to help matters.

“It got whammed twice. We weren't anticipating two months worth of rain in 48 hours,” said Cote, who stopped by yesterday to see the condition of the road. “This culvert drains a 3,100-acre water shed. A lot of water comes through here, and it has for years – you can see, it's the site of an old mill.”

Cote said moving up the construction date of the project would depend on funding – a cost which he estimated could be around $450,000 – an unlikely sum, given the tight budget the town is currently working on.

“One way or another we'll have to find the money. It won't be a cheap project,” Cote said.

Public Works Director Mike Fowler said he will be going before the council to try and shift funding from other bridge projects which had been slated for repair. There were five bridge projects ahead of Drew Road – the fourth being Fordway Bridge, scheduled for this summer, and the fifth, South Avenue Bridge, which was on target for repair in 2011.

In the meantime, Cote said repairs done yesterday could make the road safe enough for one lane of traffic.

Complicating the matter, said Stefanilo, is that the land abutting the wetlands, Weber Memorial Forest, is protected conservation land, which means that any dredging and filling for construction needs to be permitted and approved by the Department of Environmental Services.

It is a necessary but routine process, said Conservation Commission chairman Margi Ives.

“I'm no engineer, but they will probably have to figure out what kind of bridge and culvert can handle the flow, something that will last for years to come,” said Ives. “It's similar to the bridge they just replaced on Island Pond. They had to order a custom made bridge and it was delayed, which meant the road was closed for an extended period of time.”

Stefanilo said she feels like while the town and Conservation Commission figure out how best to solve the problem while protecting the wetlands, her home – and her neighbors' homes – are being sacrificed.

“You know what the town told me? They said Mother Nature did this. But I think differently. I think they know it's something they can fix. They just choose to patch it up, like they're doing right now. The culvert has never been big enough to handle all this water,” Stefanilo said.

Salerno said she can't help but feel cynical at this point. She knows the town has money socked away in its “rainy day” fund. Given what the rain has wrought lately, she feels it's time for the town to release some of the taxpayer's money it's holding and take care of the roads.

“It's just frustrating. I don't think the town is trying to mislead us, but every time I talk to someone, I get a different story. And every time it rains, like it did last weekend, my yard gets torn up, my basement floods and we have to pile up the sandbags,” Salerno said. “I don't know what else we're supposed to do, but we can't keep doing this.”

Downtown Committee pursues parking fix

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – A newly formed Downtown Committee is asking the town to consider making parking a priority.

During a March 4 meeting, Acting Library Director Diane Arrato Gavrish told the committee that the owner of the Shugrue property, located next to the library, wanted to know if the town was interested in buying the place, knowing there has long been a need for extra parking there.

The committee agreed that if there were a way to do so, buying the land would make it possible to supplement the library's existing 13 spaces and two handicapped spaces. Committee chair Mike Gendron notified Town Administrator Gary Stenhouse, who had Public Works Director Mike Fowler work up some figures to determine how many parking spaces could be drawn from the property. Fowler said the lot would sustain 18 to 20 additional spots.

During Tuesday's council meeting, Gendron and library trustee Elizabeth Ives appealed to the council to consider the purchase, but were quickly advised that further discussion would have to go on the next agenda as a non-public session, because it involved the purchase of a property.

Ives was allowed to outline why the library felt it was urgent for the town to act on this land deal, which is a time-sensitive offer. The owner has said she will opt to renovate and rent the space if the town is unable or uninterested in buying the property, assessed at $189,000.

Most obvious, Ives said, was the lack of parking at the library. Many families with young children, and elderly patrons have expressed concern over difficulty in getting to and from the library, particularly in bad weather. Although there is a municipal lot a block away, Ives said that lot is used by employees of other nearby businesses. She also said that with recent library programs drawing 75 or more participants, the need for parking is evident.

Patrons have been towed from the two-hour street parking spots, which can also feel unsafe to families unloading young children with armloads of books. And although the Masonic Temple allows patrons to park in their spaces, there are times where none are available.

Strategic options weighed by the Downtown Committee included having the town buy the property in two installments over two years at a cost of $90,000 per year, or for the library to use $40,000 from its capital reserve fund, with the town paying the balance.

Gendron said the committee is not going to make a habit of asking for money, but in this case, timing is everything.

“We don't want to be going to the well too often, so we want to go to the town with only the most important things we think are necessary. As a committee, our main goals are getting parking on the east and west ends of Broadway,” Gendron said. “Spending money is not high on the town's list, but it's our personal opinion that it's probably the best time to invest in our town – the labor cheaper and materials cost less.”

When asked, Stenhouse was sympathetic to the group, but realistic about the upcoming budget process.

“People want to save Pinkerton Tavern, they want parking next to the Adams Memorial building and the library. We have a $1.5 million budget hole, my friend. It's easy to advocate for library parking. I think it's important. But is it more important than parking for the Adams building? It's really not a question of timing; it's a question of resources,” Stenhouse said.

“The Council has to decide, and I don't envy them having to set priorities. These various groups come and do a shotgun approach – this is important, that is important. But it can't all be important at once when you only have X number of dollars,” Stenhouse said. “The wish list is growing.”

Council scrutinizes EMS contract renewal

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent 
DERRY – With two new members seated following last week's election and Monday's recount for District 2, the council last night settled in and worked through some growing pains, electing a new chair and engaging in some healthy debate over general procedures before getting down to the business of the night.

BENSON

Councilor Brad Benson was unanimously voted in as chairman, and quickly set a cordial and efficient tone for the meeting.


Most of the debate last night was focused on renewal of the town's intermunicipal ambulance service agreements with Chester and Auburn.

Town EMS Director Chuck Hemeon said Derry has been providing services to its neighboring towns for more than 20 years. He made an initial presentation to the board on the proposed three-year contracts. Hemeon said the base fee of $47,250 was negotiated at a 5 percent increase over last year and would go up by an additional 5 percent each year over the next two years.
Derry also collects an additional transport fee, billed directly to patients. Last year, the total revenue for Derry from both towns for both fees was $217,680.
Resident Doug Newell questioned why the town wasn't maximizing its bargaining power, adding that rather than paying a fair share of Derry's costs, the town is in essence giving away services to Auburn and Chester that they'd otherwise have to pay a premium for.

“Why don't we put a 1 in front of that ($47,250) just to get started. Auburn has a tax rate of about half of ours. Let's get them to pay their fair share. And not only there, but we ought to be asking Pinkerton for a contribution in lieu of the fact that we provide fire and ambulance for Pinkerton kids because a bunch of them are coming from Auburn, Chester and Hampstead, and the taxpayers in Derry are picking up the tab,” Newell said.

Hemeon said while it may have been possible to up the fee to Auburn and Chester, he feels the net 15 percent increase over the three-year contract was positive in this economy.
“These towns wanted to negotiate with Derry in good faith, but as we negotiate these contracts, I think we're bringing in good revenues,” Hemeon said. “It's a win.”

After several questions were raised about how much Auburn or Chester would have to pay for private service, and how best to calculate a fair percentage of cost, the council decided to hold off on voting until the next council meeting.

“The idea that we could be making a fortune by upping the price of our services is not realistic. For 20 years, it's really been a matter of one town helping the other, and I think the majority of councilors saw that, too,” Hemeon said, after the meeting.

Farmer's Market Meeting Today at 1 p.m.

An initiative to bring a weekly farmer's market to downtown is meant to supplement what's currently available, including J&F Farms in Derry, and Kittredge Farms produce stand, which brings produce from local farms to Derry every summer.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Calling all farm hands – well, actually, calling all farm market hands. Derry's newly formed Downtown Committee is hosting a meeting today at 1 p.m. in the third-floor training room of the municipal building. The purpose, said committee chair Mike Gendron, is creating a viable weekly farmer's market for the downtown area.

     “Primarily, we're looking for people who want to organize, because this will take a monumental effort,” Gendron said. “It will require a business plan and will have to be run like a business, so at this stage, we're not just looking for folks who want to set up a stand; we're looking at it organizationally.”  

     He said the committee has been taking notes on other successful farm market models, in particular, the Ithaca Farmer's Market, which brings area farmers and artisans together to sell produce, wine, flowers, clothing, pottery, and jewelry.

     Councilor's Janet Fairbanks and Brent Carney initially raised the idea of establishing a downtown farmer's market. Although Carney is not seeking reelection, Fairbanks is still engaged in the process and interested in seeing this idea become a reality this year.

     “We'd like to see it happen on Tuesday nights in the summer, in conjunction with the concert in the park series,” Fairbanks said.

Pinkerton Tavern: Moving On?

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY – Support is mounting for the endangered Pinkerton Tavern, a prominent landmark and thriving restaurant that currently stands in the way of progress.

     Whether support will be enough to save the place, in one form or another, remains to be seen.

     “I would like the town to work with them,” said Councilor Janet Fairbanks yesterday, after meeting recently with Jen Lutzen and Guy Streitburger, who have run the business for eight years. Fairbanks is in favor of finding a way to save the building from the wrecker ball and move it to another location in town.

     It was a proposal made to the council three weeks ago, by Karen Blandford Anderson of the town's Heritage Commission. Fairbanks has taken the suggestion to heart.

     “This is the part I don't understand. We have these people who are paying taxes and who give back so much to the community through their business. We should be doing everything in our power to keep businesses in Derry that are currently here, not taking from them,” Fairbanks said.

     She was the lone dissenting vote on accepting the project plan, she says, because no one had answered the question of the fate of the historic tavern.

     But now that plans are moving full steam ahead, the first order of business is for the town to buy up land along both sides of Route 28 for the expansion to five lanes. Three years ago, there was some talk of moving the building back 20 feet. But that would eliminate the already limited parking space. Encroaching further into the wetlands that sit behind the building to solve the space problem was not an option.

     Offers for the fair market value of the land in question have been prepared and are ready to be mailed to all 18 property owners, including Arnold Goldstein of Bedford, who holds the deed to the Pinkerton property under the name L&A Realty. Streitburger and Lutzen said they signed a 20-year lease in 2002 to operate the tavern and restaurant.

     On Monday, Town Administrator Gary Stenhouse explained the letters initiating that process have been delayed by the legalities of preparing for the “worse case scenario” – should Goldstein not accept the town's offer, then the town must be begin the process of taking the land by eminent domain.

     “The building will either have to be moved or torn down,” Stenhouse said. “The site has a lot of historic value, but the building has been modified over the years to the point where it's no longer eligible on the state or federal registry as a historic building.”

     He said it will be up to Goldstein to decide how he wants to move forward. Attempts by the Union Leader to reach Goldstein for comment were unsuccessful, as he has been vacationing outside of the U.S. He is expected to return this weekend.

     “I don't have a solution for Mr. Streitburger and Ms. Lutzen. But we have some flexibility as to when they would have to be out of the building, should Mr. Goldstein accept the town's offer,” Stenhouse said.

     Although the town's offer will be kept under wraps until it has been accepted or rejected, the current assessed value of the property, including the building, is $627,300. If the decision is made to sell the property to the town, Fairbanks would like to see the council consider selling the building to the couple – if they are interested – for $1.

     “That is the precedent they set when they sold the Upper Village Hall to the East Derry Village Improvement Society. It seems only right that the same offer be made available to Guy and Jen,” Fairbanks said.

     Stenhouse said he would not be opposed to such a deal.

     “I would be happy to give the building away so someone could preserve it,” Stenhouse said.

     Whether that is a feasible option remains to be seen.

     According to Brian Payne of Payne Building Movers in Center Strafford, moving a large, historic building is not the hard part.

     “When you're moving an old building off an existing site to a new one, it technically becomes a new building. And depending on what the building is going to be used for, it's up to the building inspector's discretion whether the old building is up to code by modern standards,” said Payne.

     The feasibility of moving a big, old building such as the Pinkerton Tavern, would depend on how far it's being moved, what's in its path and the building's overall condition.

     “A building like that could generally be moved in one or two pieces, but when it comes to cost, the sky's the absolute limit – there are so many things to consider,” he said. “It would be possible. But you have to ask yourself at some point does it make economic sense,” said Payne. “I love old buildings. But in these times, you have to consider the cost.”

     It would also depend on whether Streitburger and Lutzen are in a position to purchase a property suitable for the building-- of if they can get along without an income while the process unfolds.

     “Jen told me they've had people calling to ask if they will be available in August to do a wedding, and she has to tell them she honestly doesn't know. I don't think the town knows the answer to that, either,” Fairbanks said. “But we need to figure it out.”

     Stenhouse said the town would work with the couple to look at alternate sites through its new economic development arm, the Rockingham Economic Development Corporation.

     “First things first, though. Mr. Goldstein has to decide whether to accept our offer. Until we know that, we won't know how this is going to go,” Stenhouse said.

     News that the Pinkerton Tavern was in jeopardy did not sit well with Reed Paige Clark, 80, of Londonderry. Of all those affected by the sale of the property and possible razing of the building, he said he and his family would be most upset.

     “My family lived there and ran a farm there for two generations,” said Clark yesterday. “The people who were raised there who are still living – there are fewer and fewer of them with each year – will be totally distraught. I will be the one who has to tell them, and I don't look forward to that at all,” said Clark.