Education

Haverhill Offers Nonprofits School Facility Rental Fee Relief

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The Haverhill School Committee took a second looks at its rental fee schedule last week, voting unanimously to give local nonprofits that enter long-term rental agreements some relief. In his presentation at Thursday’s meeting, Chief Financial Officer Clancy Main asked for permission to negotiate separate agreements with any Haverhill nonprofit organization that serves 85% of the community and agrees to at least an eight-week rental agreement. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Haverhill already has a separate long-term contract to run after school programs in several schools which brings the district $100,000 annually, Main said. The Boys & Girls Club would not be affected by the fee increases, Main added. “All really I am looking to try to do here is just with the Haverhill nonprofit lines just cover our cost and then, obviously, on the for-profits, cover our costs and then build up this fund a little bit more,” Main explained.

Haverhill

Lawyer Says Death of Paquin ‘Brings a Measure of Relief’ for Victims

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A lawyer, who represented more than 25 sexual abuse victims or survivors of Ronald H. Paquin, said Monday the death of the 83-year-old former priest while in prison will bring “relief.”

Paquin, who was once assigned to St. John The Baptist Parish in Haverhill and St. Monica’s Parish in Methuen, died during the afternoon last Friday, Sept. 11, at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine. Attorney Mitchell Garabedian said “Paquin sexually abused my clients as children from about 1973 to 1990.”

“The death of Father Paquin brings a measure of relief to many clergy sexual abuse victims and survivors because they feel as though Father Paquin will no longer be able to sexually abuse children and destroy innocent lives.

Region

Groveland Water and Sewer Starts Second Phase of Lead Pipe Identification

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Groveland Water and Sewer Department says it is moving to the second phase of its project to identify lead service lines. This involves, what officials call, “potholing,” where the department digs small holes at buried shut-off valves in residential yards over the coming weeks and months. The intent is to identify unknown service lines within town. Groveland Water and Sewer says it has not yet found any lead or galvanized-steel service lines. Officials note unknown service lines do not necessarily mean they are made of lead, but they are considered potential lead sources until the actual material is confirmed.

Region

Methuen Readies for 9th Annual Methuen Day Saturday, Oct. 3

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Methuen is gearing up for next month’s Ninth Annual Methuen Day, planning free entertainment, children’s activities, more than 85 vendor booths and food truck row for lunch or sweet snacks. Methuen Day takes place rain or shine Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., along Lowell and Hampshire streets in downtown Methuen. In addition to activities and food, Methuen Parks and Recreation Department says the outing gives residents a chance to meet the mayor and members of the City Council, discover local artisans, visit with community groups and experience many surprises throughout the day.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill High Class of 2016 Marks 10 Years with September Reunion

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Haverhill High School’s Class of 2016 is holding a 10-year reunion at Wicked Axe. Organizers say the reunion offers the class a chance to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate the many different paths classmates have taken since leaving Haverhill High. At the 2016 graduation, class President Aubrie Campbell challenged her classmates to leave Haverhill High and make an impact on the world around them. Campbell recently turned to the class of 2016 reunion social media page and asked, “What’s something good that’s happened to you in the last 10 years?”

Classmates shared milestones that included completing the Boston Marathon, opening personal businesses, landing “dream jobs,” getting married, having children and moving to different parts of the world. Campbell said of the graduated class, “When we graduated, I challenged our class to go out and make an impact, but at 18 years old, none of us really knew what the next 10 years would look like,” Campbell said.

Business Bulletin

Shellfish Harvesters Receive Healey Help for Haverhill Sewer Main Failure

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Gov. Maura Healey Monday made good on her promise to deliver $300,000 in direct financial relief to North Shore shellfish harvesters that lost income during the emergency shellfish bed closings caused by the Haverhill sewer overflow. As WHAV reported in July, the relief program, administered by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, was created following the 12-day closure to help cover the maximum estimated value of shellfish that could have been harvested from the affected growing areas during that period. Healey met with local shellfish harvesters at Woodman’s of Essex, a longtime North Shore seafood restaurant and family business known for its soft-shell clams, to hear directly about the impact of the closure and deliver relief checks. “When the sewer break forced shellfish beds to close during one of the busiest times of the year, we told these harvesters that we would have their backs,” said Healey. “These are hardworking families and small businesses that are an important part of the North Shore’s economy and way of life, and we’re going to keep supporting them, protecting this industry and giving them more opportunities to get out on the water and earn a living.”

On June 29, Division of Marine Fisheries closed shellfish growing areas in Gloucester, Newburyport, Essex, Ipswich, Newbury, Rockport, Rowley and Salisbury due to the about 50-year-old 42-inch force main collapse in Haverhill.

Haverhill

Day Care, Apt. Developer to Revise Plan by Buying Old Lupoli Site; Council Hears Battery Zoning

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A vacant downtown Haverhill property once owned by Lupoli Companies is proposed to be combined with a former dental office as part of a revised plan to build a day care center and apartments. Davinci Mini Apartments, developer of a proposed childcare center and 12 apartments at 121 Merrimack St., Haverhill, will ask city councilors Tuesday to allow it to withdraw its special permit request while it prepares to buy the adjacent building. “We are currently in the process of acquiring the adjacent property at 127 Merrimack Street, a building that has been a longstanding eyesore in downtown Haverhill. Our intention is to incorporate 127 Merrimack Street into the overall redevelopment and submit a new, more comprehensive application covering both properties. We believe the combined project will allow us to create a stronger development, address the condition of 127 Merrimack Street, and make a more meaningful improvement to this section of Merrimack Street,” wrote developer Jony N. Perez in an email earlier this month to Haverhill Planning Director Jacki Byerly.

Haverhill

Haverhill Pauses to Remember and Honor on 9/11 Anniversary

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(Additional photograph below.)

Haverhill paused Friday to remember those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in two ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary. Under sunny skies, Haverhill High School students filled the courtyard in front of the school for a memorial service conducted by the school’s U.S. Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. In her reflections, speaker Deyanarah Gutierrez, a high school alum, encouraged those in attendance to not just remember, but recognize how the country has recovered in the 25 years since. “I don’t want to say ‘Don’t forget.’ I want to say, ‘Put yourself in a position that makes you uncomfortable.’ I want you to remember a time that doesn’t belong to you because it doesn’t affect you.