Around the Towns: Hudson – Milford

Hudson chief to retire

Hudson will lose its highest-ranking police officer at the end of the year.

Chief Richard Gendron, 53, announced this month he will retire at the end of the year. His last day on the job, after 30 years at the Hudson Police Department, will be Dec. 31, he said.

Gendron has spent his entire career at in Hudson, the first year as a part-time officer, he said.

He was named acting chief of the department in 1990. He took over the department full-time in 1993, he said.

The selectmen have a workshop Tuesday where they’ll likely discuss how to replace Gendron, according to Town Administrator Steve Malizia. He didn’t know whether the board would favor promoting a Hudson officer or starting a regional or nationwide search.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a police chief process,” Malizia said.

Gendron said previous boards of selectmen had incentive packages so it made sense for him to keep working. Those packages no longer exist, he said.

“It just makes sense now to retire,” Gendron said. “The timing was right. It just felt like the right thing to do.”

Paving problem rolls on

Selectmen’s Chairman Bruce Bowler pulled no punches Monday night when he criticized a contractor’s paving job on Boston Post Road.

“I’m ashamed of the paving job,” said Bowler during Monday night’s meeting. “If that’s the best Shattuck can do, get rid of them. That job is bad.”Bowler said the repaved road, near Souhegan High School, is uneven and driving on it is like “riding on a roller coaster.”

New threat to trees

MILFORD – Last spring forest specialists warned of a tiny insect called elongate hemlock scale that kills evergreen trees and made a first appearance in Monson Village here in May.

Now another tree-killing insect is making its way north.

The Asian longhorned beetle, found weeks ago in Worcester, Mass., only about 40 miles south of here, infests hardwood trees.

Kyle Lombard, of the NH Division of Forests and Lands, said the beetle could “wipe out a third of all the forest canopy in North America.”

Most hardwood trees, including maple, willow, elm, ash, poplar, and birch, are hosts for the insect. Only oak are immune.

The beetle is described as three-quarters to one and a half inches long and shiny black with irregular white spots on their backs and black and while alternating colored bands on their long antennae.

People should not move firewood long distances because it could spread the beetle, said Lombard.

Young Republicans invite candidates

HUDSON – A group of Alvirne High School GOP supporters will hold a candidates night at Chekcers Restaurant on the first day of the school year.

The Alvirne High School Republicans have invited the Republican District 27 candidates to the candidates night at the high school’s restaurant, according to an invitation letter sent out by the group’s president, Matthew Haefner.

Haefner said the November election is a particularly important one for the state and the country and that “It’s critical that from now to the election, all of the Republican candidates get as much name recognition, and as much publicity, as possible,” according to the letter.

The candidates night will be held at the restaurant at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2. Candidates will be charged $10 to speak, according to the letter.

Firefighters golfing for funds

MILFORD – The fire department is holding its second annual golf tournament fund raiser on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Crotched Mountain Golf Resort.

All proceeds will go towards purchasing a thermal imaging camera, which helps firefighters locate heat sources.

Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and tee time is 8:30 a.m. Entering the tournament costs $115 per player or $400 for a foursome.

For more information call Brett French at 673-3136.