The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Transit Police have agreed to ongoing patrols of Haverhill’s downtown and Bradford commuter rail stations to deter crime. Ward 1 City Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere told WHAV he consulted with Haverhill Deputy Police Chief Meaghan Paré and reached out to MBTA General Manager and Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng. “We have identified some problems at the train stations that we could use some help with…and asked for regular patrols from the MBTA Transit Police and they have honored that request,” he said. Basiliere explained concerns center on loitering, public drunkenness, litter and drug use.
It was a long time in coming, but city and state officials and business leaders say the opening of Haverhill’s newest hotels was worth the wait. After a four-year absence, a new combination hotel formally opened Monday morning adjacent to Westgate Market Place at Lowell Avenue and Interstate 495. Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Haverhill and TownePlace Suites by Marriott Haverhill replace the former Best Western that closed four years ago.
Next year’s Haverhill school budget begins to come into focus this Thursday when the School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee undertakes a Budget Workshop. The subcommittee meeting, called by Haverhill School Committee Vice Chairman Thomas Grannemann, plans to review factors affecting the budget for the year beginning next July 1. These include enrollment, contracts, inflation and district goals; budget priorities; preliminary budget projections; expected state education aid under Chapter 70; and communication with city Chief Financial Officer Angel A. Perkins.
Haverhill, Methuen and North Andover fire departments recently learned of state allocations for life safety education to Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents. Grants represent two longstanding fire safety programs coordinated by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, known as SAFE for Student Awareness of Fire Education, and Senior SAFE. The student program sends specially trained firefighter-educators into schools to deliver clear, consistent lessons to young people, while Senior SAFE is geared toward older adults and delivered through senior centers, councils on aging and home visits.
