Education

Public Meetings This Week: Whittier Tech Charter Committee to Give Update, More

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The public has opportunities to shape policy this week as various Haverhill boards meet. In the interest of transparency in government, WHAV provides this list of upcoming meetings every week on air and online. Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee meets Wednesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m., at the school, 115 Amesbury Line Road, Haverhill. Tuesday, May 12
The Haverhill School Committee’s Subcommittee for Educational Support Professional Negotiations meets with the Haverhill Education Association’s ESP Unit in a closed-door negotiation session Tuesday, May 12, from 6-7 p.m., in the library of the Caleb Dustin Hunking School, 480 South Main St., Haverhill. The subcommittee then meets with the secretarial unit of the union from 7-8 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13
Abatement requests are on the agenda for the meeting of the Water/Wastewater Rating Board Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m., in room 301, Haverhill City Hall, 4 Summer St., Haverhill.

Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors Approve up to $5M for Stevens Mill Demolition

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In an emergency session Friday, the Haverhill City Council granted Mayor Melinda E. Barrett authorization to spend up to $5 million to take down the fire-ravaged mill on Stevens Street. The vote came after Barrett told councilors the trust that owns the vacant mill building informed the city through its lawyer that it did not have “the capacity” to pay for demolition. Barrett said she has since requested financial help from the state and the city has already begun the legal process to recover what it can from the property’s owner. Besides the demolition expense, the mayor explained other costs are also mounting. “Our fire department has used in excess of three million gallons of water, 820 gallons of diesel fuel, and spent over $30,000 in overtime between the initial fire and now,” Barrett said.

Education

Haverhill Schools Release Draft $137M Spending Plan Without Layoffs

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A proposal to increase rental fees for school spaces, from gymnasiums to auditoriums, is part of a plan to balance a draft $137 million spending plan for the next school year. Haverhill School Superintendent Margaret Marotta detailed her draft budget Wednesday night for the school year that begins July 1. “This year we took in $100,000, but we think we can bring in $200,000 next year, even if we lose a few events,” Marotta told the School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee. Marotta explained Methuen charges $800 an hour to use an auditorium, while Haverhill charges $50 an hour. Likewise, Methuen’s gymnasium user fee is $300 an hour and Haverhill’s is $50 an hour.

Haverhill

Compromise Brings Fuel Storage Permit for Haverhill’s Broco Energy

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On a six to four vote Tuesday, the Haverhill City Council granted Broco Energy a permit to add a third 30,000-gallon propane storage tank after company owner Robert Brown withdrew the use of three tanker trailers and a permit to store 8,000 gallons of empty customer tanks. The vote came after a discussion during which neighbors asked councilors to deny the permit due to safety concerns. Voting in favor were Council President Timothy J. Jordan, Ward 2 Councilor Daniel R. Diodati, Ward 3 Councilor Devan M. Ferreira, Ward 4 Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski, Ward 6 Councilor Michael S. McGonagle and Ward 7 Councilor Catherine P. Rogers. Voting against were Vice President John A. Michitson, at-large Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan, Ward 1 Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere and Ward 5 Councilor Shaun P. Toohey. At-large Councilor Colin F. LePage was absent.

Education

Haverhill Plans June Ribbon Cutting for New Consentino School

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Students will show off their new school next month following a ribbon cutting ceremony for Haverhill’s new Dr. Albert B. Consentino School. The ceremony, is open to the public, is Monday, June 15, from 4-6 p.m., at the middle school, 685 Washington St., Haverhill. Tours of the building, led by the student body, will be offered in English and Spanish following the ribbon cutting, along with light refreshments, Haverhill School Superintendent Margaret Marotta recently told the Haverhill School Committee. “You don’t need to be right there at 4. We’ll be there until 6 or 6:30 offering guided tours.

Haverhill

Basiliere Bridge Marker Moves as New Project Commences

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The plaque, marking the dedication of the Merrimack River bridge between Haverhill and Bradford to late Pfc. Ralph T. Basiliere, was removed Monday morning to make way for the bridge’s replacement. Ward 1 City Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere, the marine’s nephew, was on hand to watch at as workers from the Middlesex Corp. construction crew carefully unscrewed the bolts and handed the plaque to him. Once the new bridge is complete, a new marker will be installed at a rededication ceremony, Basiliere said.

Haverhill

Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame Celebrates Doucette, Ruocco

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Two Haverhill notables, actor John A. Doucette and stained-glass artist Francesco “Frank” Ruocco were honored posthumously with induction last Saturday into the Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame. Stained-glass windows designed by Francesco Ruocco decorated churches throughout New England, including the set of windows in the chapel at Merrimack College in North Andover, Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill and All Saints Parish in Haverhill. Artist Paul Prue, who operates a stained-glass studio on Salem Street, spoke at the ceremony. He said a visit to Ruocco’s studio with his father when he was 7 helped inspire his own career. He said he is called on often to restore a window that Ruocco designed.

Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors to Hear Petition Against Hale Street Fuel Tanks

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Thirteen residents who live near Broco Energy on Hale Street are asking the Haverhill City Council to deny a permit to allow the company to increase its propane storage capacity. The company is requesting permits for an additional 30,000-gallon above-ground tank; three propane transport trucks, each with a capacity of 12,600 gallons; and 8,000 gallons of miscellaneous empty customer tanks. In a petition to councilors, neighbors argue several fires at the property in recent years raise, in their words, “serious concerns about safety, risk management and the suitability of expanding fuel storage” on the property. They point out the property is also near a school. Petitioners allege the company has already begun clearing land for the new tanks.