Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors Turn Down Gile Street Condominiums, Approve Vine Street Units

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Two separate proposals to allow for the development of new housing in Haverhill came to two very different conclusions at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The first, which received City Council approval, was a request for a special permit allowing for the construction of a six-unit apartment building at 8 Vine St. That land has been vacant for more than three years, after fire destroyed the building formerly located there. Jared Fish, of Kingston, N.H., sought approval of a three-story multi-family building on that site containing six one-bedroom rental units. Attorney Robert D. Harb, representing the developer explained the builder’s plan.

Education

As Classroom Temperatures Rise, Haverhill Looks to Mitigate Effects of Climate Change

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Climate change made its way into local decision-making recently as the Haverhill School Committee opened the window of discussion on how school administrators plan to deal with rising temperatures in classrooms and its effect on students and teachers alike. Committee member Gail M. Sullivan introduced the topic, expressing concern over excessive heat in school buildings and the likelihood of it only getting worse going forward. “I’m very concerned about some of the problems that I think are going to continue and get worse, and one of them is heat in the buildings. Our buildings are all designed to retain heat because we live in New England. So, we need to acknowledge what’s happening in the climate.

Election Central

Haverhill Councilors Back Ballot Questions That Could Limit Candidates Holding Several Jobs

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The full City Council, as expected, ratified two non-binding ballot questions asking voters to weigh in on whether a candidate should be allowed to run for, or hold, two elected offices at the same time. As WHAV reported first late last month, a subcommittee recommended placing the questions before voters. Those sprung from a proposal by Council President Timothy J. Jordan, Council Vice President John A. Michitson and Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski to ask voters opinions about a charter change to prohibit someone from running for more than on elected position in the same election cycle. Haverhill City Clerk Kaitlin M. Wright read the two questions at Tuesday’s meeting. “Shall the following home rule petition providing that no person shall hold the office of mayor, city councilor or School Committee member while simultaneously holding any other elected or appointed office of the city, or holding a position with the city for which the salary or compensation is payable out of the city treasury be adopted and forwarded to the General Court for enactment?”

The second question goes a bit further, asking voters if a person should be able to run for two or more offices in the same election cycle.

Haverhill

Haverhill Council Grants Approval for Eight Senior Apartments in Riverside Area

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Eight units of much-needed senior housing got the green light from the Haverhill City Council on Tuesday. A proposal by Shoe City Development Corporation, owned by the Haverhill Housing Authority, to convert the building from four to eight units received enthusiastic support from councilors. The property, at 335 Groveland St. and 0 Katsaros Drive, was purchased by the Housing Authority earlier this year for $883,000 and is adjacent to its Kennedy Circle senior complex. Attorney Robert D. Harb, told councilors the addition will be in the back of the building and, for the most part, will not be noticeable.

Education

Sullivan: Increased Competition or Bringing Services In-House May Resolve Haverhill School Bus Issues

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At least one member of the Haverhill School Committee says increased competition or bringing some school transportation in-house could be the answer to late buses and a shortage of buses and drivers. Responding to parents last week, Committee member Gail M. Sullivan said the problem centers on the lack of competition. Local provider NRT Bus, for example, was purchased in recent years by national chain Beacon Mobility. Parent James Salerno said the whole ridership program is rife with problems.

“Here we are in the third week of school and bus 11 is still repeatedly 20 to 40 minutes late on a daily basis. My child does not get picked up until 8:50 to 9:05.

Education

Haverhill School Board Votes 6-0 to End Legal Action Against Teachers, Sidesteps Meeting Law Complaint

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Accusations, denials and general confusion were in the mix during a discussion by the Haverhill School Committee last Thursday over the legality of an earlier closed-door meeting. As previously reported by WHAV, the School Committee went into executive session late last month where they apparently voted 5-1 to end legal action against the Haverhill teachers’ union over recovery of costs related to last fall’s teachers strike. WHAV challenged the legality of the session, arguing that the Committee failed to state the specific purpose of the closed-door session beforehand, in violation of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, and privately discussed the vote with the Haverhill Education Association. Committee member Paul A. Magliocchetti began the discussion by pointing out the requirement for transparency in deliberations regarding public policy decisions. He said there are, however, 10 exceptions where the need discussion out of the public eye are acknowledged by the state.

Education

Name Calling, Cuss Word, Mayor Walking Out Highlight School Committee Meeting Tensions

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The mayor walked out and uttered a cuss word as tensions ran high at Thursday’s Haverhill School Committee meeting as the Haverhill Education Association continued its pursuit of what it calls a living wage for the city’s educational support professionals. Prior to last night’s meeting, dozens of teachers and other school personnel stood outside city hall waving banners at passing pedestrians and motorists calling for pay increases. Much of that crowd then entered the City Council chamber to express their views to School Committee members in a one-to-one setting. Among them, Patricia Shaw who had harsh words for city lawyer David M. Connelly. “He’s an anti-union lawyer.

Haverhill

Committee Endorses Haverhill Ballot Question That Bans Holding More Than One Elected Job

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A Haverhill City Council subcommittee endorsed Tuesday a proposal to ask voters to weigh in on whether local candidates should be allowed to hold multiple offices at the same time. The Administration and Finance Committee recommended the non-binding ballot question suggested by City Council President Timothy J. Jordan, Vice President John A. Michitson and Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski. City Solicitor William D. Cox Jr. offered language that would allow a person to consider running for more than one office, but not to hold more than one position. “It says ‘Any person who is qualified to vote for a candidate for any elected municipal office, and who is a candidate for nomination thereto, shall be entitled to have their name as such candidate printed on an official ballot to be used at a preliminary election.’ So, this would allow somebody to take out nomination papers for all three offices, if they wanted to, but at the end of the day, they can only be a candidate for one of those offices. So, they would have to make an election by the deadline for withdrawing your name from nomination and, if they don’t do that, then it would simply be whatever office they first filed papers for,” Cox said.