Community Spotlight

Buttonwoods Museum Offers Haverhill in the Revolutionary War

By |

As part of Essex National Heritage Area’s Trails & Sails, Buttonwoods Museum is holding a reprise talk on Haverhill during the battles of Lexington and Concord. The talk explores how Haverhill’s citizens responded to the first shots of the American Revolutionary War and discusses who the citizens were, how they mobilized and the journey they made toward the fighting in Lexington and Concord. The talk takes place Thursday, Sept. 24, from 7- 8:30 p.m., at the Buttonwoods Museum, 240 Water St., Haverhill.

Haverhill

Haverhill, Owner of Water Main Break-Damaged Home Reach $100,000 Accord

By |

(Additional photographs below.)

The City of Haverhill and the owner of a Groveland Street home, whose foundation was undermined by a water main break last May, last week came to an up to $100,000 agreement on engineering work, repairs and temporary housing, relocation, storage and other living expenses. Cleanup of debris and installation of temporary shoring supports, augmenting emergency measures the city took immediately after the break, began this week when Haverhill-based Ideal Property Care was retained. The agreement notes owner Wellington J. “Bill” Clark Jr. is “attempting to work with his insurance company, but despite numerous attempts has been unable to get a response and determine coverage.”

In the pact signed Sept. 15, Mayor Melinda E. Barrett specifies “the city will agree, as settlement for all matters related hereto, to pay an amount to repair the home…to allow it to be secure enough that the home can be made habitable, reimburse the owner for costs and expenses related to repairing the damage to the home specifically” up to $100,000. Barrett also agreed the city would pay the full amount, currently estimated at $10,700, of shoring up the house’s foundation and reimburse Clark up to $5,000 for reasonable living expenses while the house remains uninhabitable.

Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors Approve City’s First Bed and Breakfast

By |

Haverhill is in line to get its first bed and breakfast lodging house. Before a standing room only audience, the Haverhill City Council Tuesday night voted unanimously Tuesday to grant Maryam Salehi-Ala-Yamin a license to operate a small four-bedroom inn at 421 E. Broadway on the condition she live on the premises and any events she holds for guests other than her lodgers be limited to 30. When the proposal was initially raised at the Council’s June 30 meeting, Salehi-Ala-Yamin said she hoped to host small weddings and other parties with up to 50 guests in addition to renting four rooms and hosting culinary classes and tea parties. However, several city councilors agreed with opposing abutters that parties that require a tent in the yard would be disruptive to the rural character of the neighborhood. They instructed her to return with a more modest proposal.

Haverhill

Paré Takes Oath as Permanent Haverhill Deputy Police Chief

By |

(Additional photographs below.)

Meaghan Paré was formally sworn in Tuesday as deputy chief of the Haverhill Police Department, saying she does not take her new responsibility lightly. Haverhill City Clerk Kaitlin M. Wright Esposito administered the oath of office to Paré in the Theodore A. Pelosi Jr. Council Chambers in City Hall, filled with fellow officers, family, friends, department heads and other officials. After being sworn in, Paré pointedly thanked Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, Police Chief Wayne J. Tracy, members of the City Council, the men and women of the police department and her family, starting with the mayor. “As I step into this new role, I hope to emulate that same dedication and passion—always putting the people we serve first and giving this job everything I have,” she said. She pledged support for officers she called the “meat and potatoes” of the department, joking, “And being Irish, you know how much I love my meat and potatoes.” Paré also took time to stand with her husband, retired Massachusetts State Police Major Scott Paré and father, Kevin M. Buckley.

Haverhill

Coveted National Preservation Award Honors Historic New England

By |

Historic New England, which recently opened its Haverhill Center downtown, Tuesday night was one of eight institutions nationwide honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic New England, owner of the historic Burgess and Lang buildings at 143 and 151 Essex St., in Haverhill, was awarded the Trustees’ Award for Organizational Excellence, calling the organization, a “national model for how preservation organizations can lead in the 21st century.”

“These trailblazing individuals and exemplary projects show us all how historic preservation can revitalize communities, enhance economic opportunities, and protect our nation’s cultural vitality,” said Brent Leggs, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic New England is described as the nation’s oldest and largest regional preservation organization, stewarding 38 diverse historic properties across five states—from rural farmsteads and urban residences to industrial complexes and designed landscapes—while maintaining one of the country’s most significant collections of material culture and historic archives. Established in 1910, the National Trust for Historic Preservation noted, “Historic New England has advanced preservation through rigorous stewardship, civic engagement, financial integrity, inclusive leadership and innovative programming. For more than a century, Historic New England has safeguarded the architecture and stories of New England.

Community Spotlight

Greater Haverhill Pentucket Youth Hockey Plans Music Bingo Fundraiser

By |

Greater Haverhill Pentucket Youth Hockey is holding an October music bingo fundraiser, to support programs during the upcoming season. The night, open only to people age 21 and up, includes bingo, music, prizes, food and raffles. Money raised will be used to support players and the overall Thunder hockey program. It takes place Friday, Oct. 16, at Merrimack Valley Golf Club, 210 Howe St., Methuen.

Business Bulletin

‘Tis the Season: Jarvi Productions Sets Dates for Thanksgiving Donations

By |

Jarvi Productions is again seeking frozen turkeys and Thanksgiving fixings to ensure families of Haverhill Public School students “facing hardship can celebrate Thanksgiving with dignity and comfort.”

This year’s annual collection drive takes place Sunday, Nov. 15, and Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21 and 22, from noon to 3 p.m., behind Haverhill City Hall, 4 Summer St. “This event is about bringing our community together and supporting our neighbors,” said Mike Jarvis, founder of Jarvi Productions. “Every donation, large or small, helps make a difference in the lives of families who may be struggling during the holiday season.

Haverhill

New Rosemont Bridge with ‘Texas Rails’ Nearly Ready; Utility Work Source of Delay

By |

Haverhill’s new Rosemont Street bridge, sporting a traditional look with, what are called, “Texas Rails,” could be about two weeks from opening after the Little River crossing has been closed a year. Haverhill City Engineer Lisa E. DeMeo told WHAV there are still three components to be completed—installing guardrails on both sides, National Grid’s relocation of electric lines from a temporary bridge to utility poles and restoration of four riverbanks. “I’m not comfortable letting any cars go over it until the guardrails go up. If the guardrails go up and we still don’t have a date from National Grid, I may let them open it. The time frame that National Grid is doing its relocation, it will have to be closed because they will have trucks in the street.