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MONADNOCK LEDGER-TRANSCRIPT

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District Court to stay in Henniker

August 23rd 2010 at 07:34:00 PM

ANTRIM/BENNINGTON -- Police and residents in Antrim and Bennington can rest easy with the knowledge that their officers will not need to travel to Concord for district court proceedings.

A recent dispute between the landlord of the Henniker-Hillsborough District Court and the state threatened to result in the closure of the court, which is located in Henniker. With a lease set to expire this month and demands from the landlord for a 48 percent rent increase, town officials were scrambling to find an alternative site in either Henniker or Hillsborough. If no lease were negotiated, the backup plan called for court cases from Antrim, Bennington and seven other towns to be handled in Concord, nearly an hour away from Antrim and Bennington.

All that was averted recently when the state’s Bureau of Court Facilities successfully negotiated a one-year lease.

State Supreme Court rules in favor of former Jaffrey police chief Martin Dunn

August 19th 2010 at 03:31:20 PM

JAFFREY – The N.H. Supreme Court decided Thursday in favor of former Jaffrey police chief Martin J. Dunn in his appeal of a 2007 decision by the N.H. Retirement System.
The Supreme Court’s ruling voided the decision of the state’s retirement system to deny Dunn accidental disability retirement benefits, and remanded the case back to the retirement board for further proceedings.

Dunn left his job at the Jaffrey Police Department in July of 2006 on extended sick leave, and was terminated in October of that year after his authorized leave time had expired. In May of 2007, Dunn received a lump sum of $95,000 in a workers’ compensation agreement between the town and Dunn.

In October of 2007, the retirement Board of Trustees denied Dunn disability benefits for a psychological disability that allegedly developed in his work environment, according to Supreme Court documents.

More on this story in Tuesday’s issue.

Peterborough: Plans for wider bridge, traffic oval move ahead

August 18th 2010 at 07:58:24 PM

PETERBOROUGH — The Select Board unanimously agreed to recommend a modified roundabout at the Route 202 and Main Street intersection as part of its recommendation to the state for the design of the Main Street Bridge/Route 202 retaining wall project set to begin late next year.

As part of its recommendation to the state, the board also unanimously agreed to recommend that the Main Street Bridge be reconstructed as a cast-in-place, rigid-frame structure to best match what the bridge looks like today.

To accommodate bridge traffic during construction, the board recommends a phased construction of a wider bridge as opposed to installing a temporary steel bridge nearby.

The total cost for the project is expected to be around $4 million.

Public Works Director Rodney Bartlett said state officials have indicated they prefer an oval-shaped roundabout at the intersection to replace the current T-shaped intersection because it would improve traffic flow and lower vehicle emissions.

“At this point, DOT’s preference is to move forward with the modified roundabout,” Bartlett said.

Details in Thursday's Ledger-Transcript.

GOP House candidates debate tonight at FPU

August 17th 2010 at 12:36:47 PM

The first of three debates co-sponsored by the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and the Fitzwater Center at Franklin Pierce University will be held tonight at Pierce Hall, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Tonight’s debate will include Republican candidates for the District 2 House seat, including Charlie Bass, Jennifer Horn, Bob Giuda and Wesley Sonner.

The event is free and open to the public. There will also be a brief opportunity to meet the candidates following the debate.

The Democratic candidates for the District 2 House seat will debate at Franklin Pierce University on Aug. 24 and the GOP Senate hopefuls will debate Aug. 31.

For more information, click here: Franklin Pierce University website

Jaffrey: Supreme Court finds for Van Dyke mountain zone plan

August 17th 2010 at 09:57:15 AM

In an order issued last Wednesday, the N.H. Supreme Court upheld the town of Jaffrey’s land use boards decisions regarding developer Robert Van Dyke’s 28-unit mountain zone condo development.

Van Dyke first applied for a development of 40 units in October of 2004, and the Planning Board denied this application. Following an appeal by Van Dyke, the parties agreed to return to the application process with just 36 units. The plan was subsequently reduced to 28 single-family homes in a condominium-style development with common land ownership.

In numerous appeals that went all the way to the state's Supreme Court, a group of 20 Jaffrey residents and the Society For the Protection of N.H. Forests have brought to light concerns about the density of the development in the mountain zone protection area of Mount Monadnock, a zone implemented in several towns surrounding the mountain in the 1990s.

More on this story in Thursday’s issue.