Haverhill

Haverhill Public Works Adds Streets to Repaving List

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Haverhill’s Public Works Department is adding a few streets to this week’s paving and repair list. Work is set for Carleton Street, from Broadway to Lowell Avenue; Berkeley Avenue, from Mill to Windsor Street; Travers Street, from Kenoza Avenue to Ashland Street; and Sherman Avenue, from Brook to Willie Street. The additional streets and sidewalks join a list WHAV reported earlier this week. The condition of Carleton Street after utility work took place was the subject of a City Council complaint nearly two years ago. Then-City Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua presented photographs depicting the harsh conditions facing drivers on some of the roads undergoing repaving and other improvements.

Business Bulletin

May 9 Expo at iHub Haverhill to Connect Businesses with Free Programs and Resources

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Businesses wondering if they qualify for tax incentives; in need of good employees; trying to access resources available to women, minority or veteran-owned business; or that need capital may find answers during a May business expo in Haverhill. State Undersecretary of Economic Foundations Ashley Stolba will provide a keynote address, while Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, a longtime downtown business owner, will also speak. UMass Lowell Innovation Hub in Haverhill is partnering with the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, City of Haverhill, Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce and Merrimack Valley Planning Commission for the regional business resource fair Thursday, May 9, 8:30-11:30 a.m., at UMass Lowell iHub, 2 Merrimack St., Haverhill. “It’s not always easy to find and access resources as entrepreneurs or small business owners,” said Stephanie Guyotte, associate director of the Innovation Hub. “Bringing these organizations together in one place, businesses and entrepreneurs and can come and get all of their questions answered, learn new things, and take advantage of all the resources that the state and others have to offer.”

Jerrard Whitten, executive director of the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Corporation and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, added “This expo allows businesses to connect with state resources and partners to fuel sustained development, driving progress and prosperity throughout the valley.

Community Spotlight

Plaistow Police Inspect, Install Car Safety Seats Friday

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The Plaistow Public Library and Plaistow Police Department are helping drivers keep their youngest passengers safe. Trained and certified child safety seat technicians from the Plaistow Police Department will staff a checkpoint at the Plaistow Public Library to inspect the safety devices in local operators’ cars. For those having trouble safely installing the seats, the same trained personnel will lend a hand to make sure they are installed properly. The Car Seat Safety Checkup takes place on Friday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Plaistow Public Library, 85 Main St., Plaistow, N.H.

Region

Plaistow, N.H., Team Effort Proves Successful in Rescuing Duckling From Sewer

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A joint effort of Plaistow, N.H., first responders rescued several ducklings this past Monday that took a wrong turn and became trapped in a Plaistow Road sewer. Plaistow Fire Chief Chris Knutsen told WHAV his department was able to provide Animal Control Officer Maura Wentworth with seven personnel and equipment to help recover the wayward flock from a storm drain system on Route 125. “In all, three different storm drains were accessed. We were able to recover all but two ducklings. Unfortunately, they ran into small drainage pipes that would not allow us the ability to access them.

Crime

Police Arrest Six, Including 22-Year-Old Methuen Man, For Alleged Theft of $50,000 in Lottery Tickets

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Six people, including a 22-year-old Methuen man, were arrested Wednesday after 121 indictments were handed down related to alleged break-ins at various convenience stores where about $50,000 lottery tickets were stolen. Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said indictments charged “known” gang members and associates with breaking and entering in the night for felony, larceny in excess of $1,200, larceny from a building, wanton destruction of property over $1,200, receiving stolen property less than $1,200, common and notorious thief, money laundering and improper use of credit card less than $1,200. “These indictments and arrests are a reflection of the tremendous partnerships between state and local agencies and represent how law enforcement and prosecutors from my office work tirelessly and side-by-side to solve and prosecute crimes perpetrated by criminal networks,” Tucker said in a statement. Tucker’s office said it was involved in a three-month, multi-agency effort they called “Operation Smash & Cash” where at least 12 convenience stores throughout Essex and Middlesex counties in Massachusetts and four New Hampshire communities were struck February, March, and April of this year. Search warrants were used in Methuen, Lawrence, Revere, Swampscott and Lynn.

Education

North Andover School Committee to Discuss Placing School Superintendent on Paid Leave

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The North Andover School Committee is scheduled Thursday to discuss placing the school superintendent on paid leave, but an official would not confirm the circumstances giving rise to the item. A new business agenda item referenced two items, “Placing the superintendent on paid administrative leave pursuant to Section D of his employment contract” and “Process for selecting and naming an acting superintendent during the paid leave period.”

North Andover Chair School Committee David Brown told WHAV that he “cannot comment on personnel matters” regarding Superintendent Gregg T. Gilligan. The School Committee meets in public session tomorrow night, 7 p.m., in the Superintendent’s Conference Room, School Administration Building, 566 Main St., North Andover. According to a meeting notice, the School Committee amended its outline at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, to include the additional items related to the superintendent. Gilligan first became superintendent July 1, 2018.

Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors Call For Revival of Forest Stewardship Program; Mayor Agrees

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As Haverhill completes its Open Space and Recreation Plan, City Councilors Devan M. Ferreira and Melissa J. Lewandowski advocated at last night’s meeting for a revival of the forest stewardship program, which was created in 2009 but has since become inactive. Ferreira said of Haverhill’s residents, “As much as they like the heart of the city, they like the country, they like the woods, they like everything that offers us. It’s an important step for addressing some urgent climate issues that we have, as well as biodiversity in our community.”

Mayor Melinda E. Barrett said she supports bringing back the forestry program, “which we had for many, many years with some real high-quality people on it who knew and cared about keeping our forests healthy, keeping invasives out of our forests and keeping our natural trees.”

Barrett continued that an already-established committee focused on urban trees could add forest stewardship to its responsibilities. Though forest fires may seem a remote possibility in Massachusetts, city American Rescue Plan Act Project Manager Kathleen Lambert, who heads the group, said proper forest management is necessary in the face of climate change. Funded by grant and state money, Lambert told councilors she is seeking five to seven commissioners to guide the city’s approach.

Education

Haverhill Candidates Vie For Whittier Tech Seat; Appointment Policy May Change Following Monday Vote

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Amid a rocky selection process, the Haverhill School Committee will again hear candidates for one of the city’s two seats on the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Board, as well as vote Thursday on a proposed change to the policy governing how it fills those positions. It appears the body will choose between member Gail M. Sullivan and incumbent Richard P. Early Jr., though the agenda did not specify which candidates will be heard at the meeting. If the committee adopts a change to the Whittier Tech appointment policy, it may be required to provide notice and a hearing before removing one of its members from the vocational school’s board for policy violations or an unspecified “other cause.”

“Basically, the city solicitor said that she believed that there needed to be cause and notice and hearings,” member Richard J. Rosa told WHAV. He said this was the only proposed change to the policy at a subcommittee meeting Monday

The amendment follows the body’s abortive attempt to remove former School Committee member Scott W. Wood Jr. from the Whittier Tech board. After initially announcing candidates could run for two seats, the Haverhill committee later declared only Early’s open, causing four people to drop out of the race.