Haverhill

City Councilors Honor Lisa Guerin, Late Wife of Former Haverhill Mayor

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Haverhill City Councilors on Tuesday honored the late Lisa (Duggan) Guerin, who died over the weekend following a brief illness. She was the wife of former Mayor John J. Guerin Jr.

Council President Thomas J. Sullivan offered a moment of silence in honor of Guerin, his first cousin. “We grew up in Bradford together and we were very, very close,” he said. “As children, we hung out all the time, whether we were at Bradford swim club, which is where we spent many of our summers.”

Sullivan pointed out he and Lisa would join the Veterans of Foreign Wars Santa Parade Committee, founded by Sullivan’s father, John. Sullivan, who would become chair, said he went on to serve with his cousin many years.

Election Central

Haverhill City Council Approves 2025 Local Election Calendar; Here are Dates to Know

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The Haverhill City Council on Tuesday approved the city’s election calendar, which comes with some very important dates for those planning on running for office. Besides choosing a mayor, voters this year cast ballots the second time for mostly ward city councilors and School Committee members. It is the first time, though, they will specifically choose three at-large School Committee members for two-year terms. In 2023, Haverhill School Committee members Paul A. Magliocchetti, Richard J. Rosa and Maura L. Ryan-Ciardiello were permitted to serve out their remaining two years of four-year terms to which they were elected in 2021. Nomination papers for candidates will be available at 8 a.m., Monday, May 5, at City Hall with Friday, July 25, the last day to take out nomination papers. The last day to file nomination papers is Tuesday, July 29, at 5 p.m., where the Board of Registrars will certify signatures collected.

Haverhill

Haverhill Nonprofits Benefit from Maria’s Charity Event Featuring Former NFL Players

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(Additional photograph below.)

Several area nonprofits will receive sizeable infusions of cash for the new year after a charity event Sunday with former Patriot’s stars yielded more than $17,000 in proceeds. Hall of Famer and former Patriots Cornerback Ty Law and former Tight End and 2001 Superbowl champion Jermaine Wiggins were on hand Sunday at Maria’s Restaurant in downtown Haverhill to support the Boys and Girls of Greater Haverhill, Haverhill Exchange and Lions Clubs as well as Pentucket Kiwanis. Maria’s Issa Zefta told WHAV how the event came together. “I’ve been at so many different events and I met Ty Law and Jermaine Wiggins, and it was a major hit for a lot of the organizations that do fundraisers. So, we thought we’d bring them to Haverhill and help the community,” Zefta said.

Education

Haverhill’s Silver Hill School to Get New Roof Under State Accelerated Repair Program

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Haverhill’s Silver Hill School was recently invited into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s accelerated repair program as the first step toward replacing the school’s aging roof. The state agency’s board of directors invited the school, built in 1993, into the program more than three years after the School Committee first tried for financial assistance for the project. School Committee member Richard J. Rosa confirmed the school system expects the program to cover approximately 76% of the still-to-be-determined total cost of the project. In Rosa’s words, taking advantage of the state’s repair program is “a fiscally responsible step to ensure our schools remain safe, efficient, and conducive to teaching and learning.”

“With the Silver Hill roof beyond its expected lifespan, our partnership with the MSBA allows us to make necessary upgrades while leveraging state funding to ease the burden on Haverhill taxpayers. We have to continually commit to maximizing opportunities like these—whether the Accelerated Repair Program or grants—to benefit our students and community,” he added.

Haverhill

Haverhill City Council Approves Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan; Could Help with Grants

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A new hazard mitigation plan could pave the way for new funding avenues to improve city infrastructure. The City Council recently adopted a new, non-binding regional hazard mitigation plan with nine other communities which aims to reduce long-term risk to residents and property from future disasters. The plan, which was given the green light from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, outlines a road map to mitigate future risks, such as identifying infrastructure upgrades and existing community resources. “The plan serves as a non-binding guidance document for the community outlining compressive strategies to minimize risk and vulnerabilities from natural hazards over the next five years,” Haverhill Police Chief Robert P. Pistone told councilors. Pistone said public safety officials from Haverhill and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission spent nearly two years drafting the plan.

Haverhill

Barrett Updates Haverhill Council on $37.5 Million Federal Pandemic Aid Spending as Deadline Approaches

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Haverhill has spent or allocated all of its approximately $37.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money it was awarded. As the deadline to commit the federal funds to eligible projects, Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett gave city councilors Tuesday an update on the city’s projects to date. She explained one area of focus concerns residents’ mental health. “We provided social services and community support through our youth activity and mental health programs. Our senior programs for transportation, fitness, nutrition and vaccinations. We hired a police department behavioral support person for residents in mental health crisis,” she said.

Haverhill

Haverhill City Council Opts to Continue Hearing for Lovers Lane Solar Field

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Plans for a proposed solar farm on Ayers Hill were again placed on hold Tuesday night as city councilors seek more time to consult with city lawyers on what restrictions may be placed on the project under state law. Haverhill City Councilors opted to continue a hearing for a permit for a proposed solar array on Lovers Lane by SPI Solar in order to consult with City Solicitor Jason R. Talerman on what restrictions the body may impose under the, so called, Dover Amendment, a state law which exempts educational, agricultural and solar uses among other from certain local zoning restrictions. Talerman called the amendment “a formidable obstacle in some respects” to local permitting, citing recent cases where courts have sides with solar companies have won litigation against host communities.  Councilor Ralph. Basiliere said he is concerned about opening the city up to “an expensive lawsuit.”

Councilor Michael McGonagle opposed restrictions, calling any “a bit heavy handed,” noting the project poses no public safety issues and is low-impact.

Education

Haverhill School Policy Committee to Review Safety After School Crosswalk Incident

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The Haverhill School Committee’s Policy Subcommittee will review procedures after a parent complained about communication after an incident with his daughter in sixth grade and a car at a school crosswalk. Stephen Costa thanked Caleb Dustin Hunking School Principal Timothy Betty for his work, but charged some staff responsible for traffic safety were lost when the budget was trimmed by $11 million. “I rushed out of my office at my hockey rink in Saugus, Mass., and quickly headed back toward Haverhill. Shortly after that, I received a telephone call from my son indicating my daughter was okay. The school principal, School Resource Officer Ms. Privitera and the school nurse arrived at the home to make sure of it,” he said.