FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012
VOL. 20 NO. 206
BERLIN, N.H.
752-5858
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Dummer considers taking zoning regulations back to 1989 BY GAIL SCOTT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
DUMMER—On Tuesday, Dummer residents will be asked to decide whether or not they want to take town zoning regulations back to 1989. The voting on the pertinent warrant articles—Articles 2 and 3—will be by ballot so no discussion will precede voting on these measures. Voters will need to be prepared on their own. Voters who have not seen the warrant or these proposed articles can pick up a copy of the warrant and complete copies of the amendments (not included on the warrant itself) by asking for them at the Dummer town hall on Monday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m, 1-2:30 p.m., 6-7 p.m.
These documents will also be available at the town hall on Tuesday during voting. The town hall is not open on Fridays. The proposed zoning amendments in these articles has generated great controversy. The present zoning was adopted by town voters in 1999, after consideration of a master plan for the town, and was reaffirmed in 2006 when it was challenged by petitions by O’neill Croteau to revert to the 1989 Dummer Zoning ordinances. Croteau has submitted the same petitions this year. In 2006, voters turned down the change. At present, the town has three zones, two of which have two acres as minimum lot size and one has 10 acres as minimum lot size: the Rural/Agricultural Zone where the minimum see DUMMER page 12
Voters to decide fire chief question BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
SHELBURNE — Should the fire chief in Shelburne be elected by the department members or appointed by the selectmen? That is the question that voters will answer at town meeting on Tuesday. A petitioned warrant article seeks to change the current management structure at the Shelburne Fire Department, where the chief is elected by the membership, to one with more oversight from the town leadership. “Article 18 is to allow the selectfolk to appoint a fire chief with input from the fire department,” said one of the issues lead petitioners, Raymond Danforth. According to Danforth, the primary reason behind the article is to decrease town liability
and increase firefighter safety and training. There had been concerns about lack of training and oversight in the fire department in recent years, he said, but the action of drafting an article for the warrant was “finally prompted by the illegal burn” that took place last year and left the town on the hook for a $2,000 fine levied by the state. In the “selectpersons report” section of the 2011 Shelburne Town Report, the board summarizes their issues with the fire department, by stating they had met several times with the department and chief Tom Hayes in an effort to increase communication. They also note that information requested from the fire department has been slow to be provided, and that an illegal burn was held in 2011 that resulted in see FIRE CHIEF page
School district approves full warrant BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
GORHAM — Voters in the Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District gathered for their annual meeting last night and handled the issue of the annual budget, a new contract for the teachers and debated the merits of the SB2 form of meeting. The session lasted just over an hour, with just over 100 people in attendance There was no discussion prior to the vote
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on the school budget as presented. School officials proposed a budget of $7.9 million, an increase of $12,639 from last year, but a reduction in revenue could see property tax spike again in Gorham if the actual revenues are close to the projections. Ballpark estimates on the proposed budget’s impact on tax rates has Gorham’s increasing $1.18, Randolph’s going up $0.22, and Shelburne’s being raised by $0.36. Voters overwhelmsee APPROVES page 20
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County not pursuing case against alleged getaway driver BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
BERLIN — The case against Sheena Craig, 29 of Berlin, has been dismissed without prejudice by Coos County Superior Court after Coos County attorney’s office failed to indict Craig within 90 days. Police accused Craig of being the alleged getaway driver in the Nov. 14, 2011 bank robbery at Guardian Angel Credit Union on Berlin’s East Side. Berlin police were notified of the dismissal of the charges recently, but said they had been told that the US Attorney’s Office may be looking into the case. Assistant County Attorney John McCormick said that the federal authorities are looking into the case, but would not comment further. A representative of the US Attorney’s office in Concord confirmed there was someone in their office assigned to the bank robbery in general, but declined to comment fur-
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ther. Daniel Hufstetler, 32, also of Berlin, has been indicted in Coos Superior Court for charges relating to the robbery. Police believe Craig is Hufstetler’s girlfriend. The two shared an apartment and allegedly used some of the money from the robbery to pay back rent in an effort to avoid eviction. Initial reports from police stated that Hufstetler allegedly robbed the bank while see COUNTY page 7
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