Haverhill

Haverhill Winter Parking Proposal Moves to Public Safety Committee for Further Review

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A proposal that could give residents a reprieve from longstanding city policy regulating winter parking will receive further scrutiny at the Haverhill City Council’s Public Safety Subcommittee after a number of residents on Tuesday aired concerns over the practice, which carries a $25 fine per violation. As WHAV reported, current policy mandates residents alternate parking on even and odd sides of the streets between Nov. 15 and April 1 to help crews better clear roads during and after storms. A resident proposal presented to city councilors Tuesday suggests creating a grace period until plowable snow is forecasted to fall within three days. Concerned residents were introduced by Ward 1 City Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere. “As we all know, in the inner city, really big parts of wards one, two and three in particular, there are a lot more cars and the same amount of street that there always has been,” Basiliere said.

Education

Haverhill School Administrators to Press for Increased Use of Bus Pass Swipe Program

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Haverhill school officials plan to double down on a bus pass program that so far has seen lukewarm success. Superintendent Margaret Marotta told School Committee members Thursday she’d prefer not to waste the investment, but instead encourage higher participation. “I think the swipe on, swipe off is incredibly important. Being the one who’s usually here in the late afternoon with a child that’s gotten off at the wrong stop or that has been picked up by a parent that hasn’t communicated with the other parent, the many different things that happen that happen in a larger school system. It’s terrifying for everyone involved,” Marotta said.

Education

Three Whittier Middle School Configurations on the Table for Haverhill’s Future

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School Superintendent Margaret Marotta Thursday night briefed the Haverhill School Committee on the future of the John Greenleaf Whittier School, with three options on the table for the city to pursue. Marotta outlined possible school configurations after officials previously committed up to $1.2 million for a feasibility study for the replacement or renovation of the aging building, the first step to receive reimbursement for construction from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. As WHAV reported last year, officials made formal their plans to submit a Statement of Interest to the state that sought plans to explore among other options, the possibility of merging both the elementary and middle schools. The first option would see the John Greenleaf Whittier School’s capacity increase to 745 seats, with the building used for grades five through eight. Combining both the John Greenleaf Whittier School and John C. Tilton school would see the Whittier School house 1,045 students in grades four to eight, incorporating Tilton as part of what Marotta calls the “JGW Pen Lake campus.”

The third option would see John Greenleaf Whittier School house 1,325 students in grades three to eight.

Haverhill

Residents May Celebrate Home History as Haverhill Historic Sign Program Moves Ahead

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A program that would assist homeowners in creating a sign to denote the historic significance of their homes may now move forward after emerging from a subcommittee. Councilor Devan M. Ferreira shared Tuesday several edits suggested by City Solicitor Lisa L. Mead, including removing language related to purchasing research assistance from the Historic Highlands Neighborhood Association as well as language related to sign procurement and pricing. She noted her excitement and reminded residents on how the program will work. “One of the things I love about my neighborhood is walking by and checking out who lived where and what they were doing in the history of our city,” she said. “Looking at the wider range, I think our Queen Slipper is a unifying symbol of the city that could be used in many different neighborhoods and sections of the city for those who may want to get one of these signs for their own home.

Haverhill

Michitson Weighs Healey’s Vo-Tech Ideas; Barrett Previews Whittier/ Northern Essex Options

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Haverhill City Councilor John A. Michitson Tuesday night praised several parts of the governor’s career technical education proposal, but stressed he has reservations about a proposed lottery that would change how students are admitted to technical high schools. Gov. Maura T. Healey’s proposal would add an additional 3,000 vocational seats over the course of three years among the 15 high schools across the state, a move Michitson called “very promising.”

Michitson, who has advocated for alternative educational opportunities for students, praised requirements that districts must maintain a policy on how students are made aware of and gain exposure to career and technical learning. Healey’s proposal also includes $100 million for grants for high schools, colleges and other schools to upgrade educational lab spaces and technology, increase capacity for workforce training programs and expand career programming. However, Michitson highlighted, the proposal also includes a lottery system for admissions, marking a massive shift from the merit-based system currently in place in an effort to increase equity in admissions for underserved students. “This is controversial.

Haverhill

Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame Inducts Poet Frances ‘Gardi’ Cole Lee at Moving Ceremony

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Award-winning poet and Haverhill High School graduate Frances Cole Lee was honored Saturday as the city’s newest member of the Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame. Taking place in concert with Haverhill Public Library’s Black History Month programming, principal speaker Frances Davis, the first born of Cole Lee’s seven granddaughters, celebrated her grandmother, who she aptly nicknamed “Gardi” as a child, a moniker that stuck. “Maybe it was carried over from a prior life. It is a Hindi word meaning large. It’s also a Norse word meaning ghost.

Education

School Committee Welcomes New J.G. Whittier School Classrooms, Noting They’re Real Buildings

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Students and staff are settling in to the new modular classrooms at John Greenleaf Whittier School. As WHAV reported first last fall, the $3 million addition of six new classrooms were installed and offer a reprieve from congestion. They may be reused elsewhere if a new school is built. Principal Kevin R. Higginbottom told School Committee members last Thursday there is now more room for health, technology and multilingual instruction. “The great thing about having six new classrooms that we’re able to move students into, which they’re excited to be there, they feel like it’s special, it’s just for them. They’re making it their home space, but what it also did was alleviate a lot of the congestion we had inside the building,” he said.

Haverhill

Councilors Call Overnight Warming Center at Haverhill’s Universalist Unitarian Church a Success

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The Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill aims to provide a safe and warm space for the unhoused population during spouts of extreme cold—a program praised by city councilors this week for meeting a critical need. The Kenoza Avenue church unexpectedly took on the warming center task this season, opening it from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., on nights temperatures are forecast to drop below 25 degrees. Haverhill City Councilor Devan M. Ferreira, a center volunteer, told her colleagues the mostly church-financed operation fills a gap. “Folks are welcome to come and go as they please,” she said. “Some people come in for the whole night, some people come in for a few hours.