Author: NH Business Review Staff

Flotsam & Jetsam

Craig, we hardly knew ye Others may have mixed feelings about the coming departure of Craig Benson from the Corner Office, but F&J knows which side our bread is buttered on. No other governor in history gave so much to…

Page 3

Chugging right along What started out as a hobby for Tom and Debbie Smith has kept them in business — and in trains, cars, rockets, planes and tanks — for 22 years. “I got a train set when I was…

Annual Preview: Economy rebounds throughout N.H.

You wouldn’t think that such small start-up software firm in the North Country town of Jackson would be indicative of the state’s long-awaited and much-delayed climb out of the economic doldrums of the last three years. But in many ways…

Arel probe results in unique deal

When Pennichuck Corp. shareholders receive their one-time payout after the company’s novel $390,000 mid-December settlement with state and federal securities regulators, the money will mainly come out of the pocket of Maurice Arel, the firm’s former chief executive officer. The…

Staying fit, even during the holidays

For some, the holiday season is the same from year to year. A party here, a gathering there, a handful of chocolates or a plate full of hors d’oeuvres - it doesn’t really matter as long as there’s something tasty…

Devil is in the details of consumer-directed health plans

As more businesses offer their employees consumer-directed health-care benefits packages, it’s important to promote a better understanding of them — the legal and operational complexities involved in administering them, and the level of preparedness of the health payers to implement…

Program brings skills, jobs to displaced Jac Pac workers

Rafael Calderon, a job developer with the Jac Pac Worker Assistance Program in Manchester, recalls finding on-the-job training for displaced Jac Pac workers a few months ago with a Manchester company called The Way Home. “They hired four of our…

City marking wetland buffers

The Conservation Commission and the Public Works Division recently teamed up to mark wetland buffers along rivers and streams in the city. The effort was done in conjunction with a nearly $8,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Services.…

Commission OKs new easement

WILTON - A conservation easement on 65 acres belonging to the Hoover family was discussed at a public hearing on Monday. A handful of people attended. The land is located on Isaac Frye Highway near the old town reservoir, and…

School Board limits spending

MILFORD - Milford School Board members have figured out how much they want to spend next year, but they’re less certain about exactly what to spend it on. “It’s hard to have specifics when so much is up in the…

Vehicle visibility may increase

NASHUA - City cars and trucks would be more visible on the roadways under a plan backed by an aldermanic committee to require that city seals and department names be attached to the vehicles. Police and fire vehicles would be…

Information on birth certificate law

NASHUA - A workshop to inform adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents about the new law on access to birth certificates is being held tonight from 7-9 at the Hunt Room at the Nashua Public Library. The law was passed…

Stamping out long lines

NASHUA - With a noontime line of about a dozen people in the downtown post office, John Lavalliere skipped past them all and headed to the new automated postal center. In a matter of moments, the Merrimack resident had the…

Residents seek weed solution

HUDSON - Residents concerned that Ottarnic Pond is becoming choked with invasive weeds are hoping to raise funds to have the pond treated. According to the latest estimates, Advocates for Ottarnic Pond would need to raise about $10,000 to have…

Open land, open question

HOLLIS - Now that voters have approved the largest and most expensive land purchases in town history, it’s time for town officials and residents to decide what to do with all that land. At the Special Town Meeting on Thursday…

Trio accused of smash and grab plot

HUDSON - A 23-year-old and two 15-year-olds are suspected of forcing their way into a house to beat someone up and then stealing items while they were there. Jonathan Inoa, of 53 Newhall St., No. 2, Lowell, Mass., was charged…

Snow, cold cause trouble in the region

Although the season’s biggest snowstorm may not have been powerful enough to leave a massive amount of snow in the region, it was strong enough to cause massive headaches for area travelers. The storm, which began dropping snow in Nashua…

State’s schools chief resigns

CONCORD - Education Commissioner Nicholas Donohue abruptly ended any speculation about his desire to stay on the job Monday, announcing his plans to resign at the beginning of next month. Donohue insisted the decision to step aside was his own…

Panel rejects plan to change naming system

NASHUA - An aldermanic committee endorsed the current system of appointing police commissioners, turning back an effort to have home rule over the Police Department. Many aldermen at the Personnel/Administrative Affairs Committee meeting said the proposal to give the mayor…

Raises in question after budget move

HUDSON - The annual raises for non-union personnel are in question after the Budget Committee removed them from the town budget and the selectmen couldn’t agree whether to put them in a warrant article. Typically the raises have gone before…

Lyndeborough to keep growth ordinance in place

LYNDEBOROUGH - Considering the rate of growth in neighboring towns, the Planning Board decided to keep the town’s growth management ordinance in place for another five years on Thursday night. Lyndeborough has had a growth management ordinance in place for…

Federal funds to aid hospitals’ expansions

NASHUA - Expansion projects at the city’s two hospitals are among 14 across the state that will receive federal funds through a $388.4 billion omnibus spending bill recently approved by Congress. The Omnibus Appropriations Act, which was signed into law…

City short on cash for trash disposal

NASHUA - Aldermen will have to look hard at how to pay for the city’s trash-disposal operation because the Solid Waste Department has a forecasted $3.7 million deficit with the current payment system. And relying on the private sector to…

Federal funds go to sewer project

Congress sent a nice check of $850,000 to the city of Nashua for wastewater and sewage improvements. The announcement came in a laundry list of New Hampshire projects supported by U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass that were approved as part of…

Foster, adoptive parents gather for holiday party

Denise Dube was trying to hold back her tears. She paused to catch her breath as she described what it’s like to be a foster parent to five young children. “It’s a blessing,” Dube said, her eyes beginning to water.…

Environmental road trip

Next month, Parker Sweeney will travel for three hours through the tropics of Mexico in the back of a cattle wagon. He will navigate a trail so overgrown, he and his classmates will have to cut branches above the truck…

House fire contained

NASHUA- A residence on 35 East Dunstable Road suffered some peripheral damage Saturday, but firefighters contained a fire to a second-story bedroom. No one was home when the fire started at 1:24 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief Michael O’Brien said. Its…

Lyndeborough board OKs capital improvement plan

LYNDEBOROUGH - A new pumper for the Fire Department is among the items contained in a capital improvement plan approved by the Planning Board. The five-year plan, which was prepared by a subcommittee in conjunction with the Budget Committee, was…

Rotarians raising money for park

MILFORD - The Rotary Club has started a formal push to turn a dilapidated tennis court opposite Bales School into a park with brick walkways as a way to honor the 100th anniversary of Rotary International. The club is selling…

Concert to benefit scholarship fund

HOLLIS - Students at Hollis/Brookline High School will transform tragedy into melody tonight as members of the school’s FIRST team and students in the senior class gather to host the “Rock 4 Charity” concert. Proceeds from the concert will go…

Board puts new budget on table

MERRIMACK - After a final round of adjustments late Thursday, the Board of Selectmen sent a proposed 2005-06 operating budget of $25.4 million to the Budget Committee. Although that budget doesn’t include special warrant articles, the best apples-to-apples comparison for…

E-ZPass ready for spring debut

CONCORD - By Memorial Day weekend, motorists who sign up to get an E-ZPass will be able to drive their car or truck slowly through all turnpike tollbooths without stopping, Gov. Craig Benson announced Friday. Transportation Commissioner Carol Murray joined…

Nashua mother fights for daughter’s health

When the rest of the Wildcats girls’ soccer team decided to hang up their cleats, Erin Kelley was still kicking. It was 6 p.m. on a late October evening - dusk was approaching, and the air was moving from comfortable…

School’s land may be subdivided

WILTON - A plan presented by Pine Hill Waldorf School to subdivide several acres from its Pine Hill Drive site and lease the land to a Center for Anthroposophy has moved forward. On Tuesday, the Zoning Board of Adjustment approved…

Hollis voters OK land purchases

HOLLIS - The Land Protection Study Committee came out in full force at Thursday night’s Special Town Meeting to push for its No. 1 targeted land purchase, the 180-acre parcel known as Woodmont Orchard West. Voters approved the $3.25 million…

Selectmen cut budget by $643,000

MERRIMACK - Both the town and school budgets proposed for next year are settling into amounts slightly more than 3 percent over current spending. The Board of Selectmen on Thursday debated a series of reductions that Chairman Dick Hinch proposed…

Hollis/Brookline students pack up care, hope for Iraqi kids

HOLLIS - Many of Carolyn Cicciu’s assignments for her eighth-grade students involve discussing foreign cultures and exploring others ways of living. This season, Cicciu found another way to show her pupils that there is more to life than what happens…

Home developer didn’t violate law by giving Arel discount

CONCORD - In 1998, Nashua real-estate developer John Stabile sold Maurice Arel a $339,564 custom-built home at cost, essentially giving the then-Pennichuck Corp. president a $70,000 discount. Why? “We’d had a long-term business relationship. The company agreed to build a…

Utility, Arel fined $390k

CONCORD - Maurice Arel, the former president and chief executive officer of Pennichuck Corp., will pay $270,000 in fines to the utility as part of a $390,000 settlement between Pennichuck, the state and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Arel…

Dog to stay on all fours

Jack the dog, the latest canine media star, should recover from a gunshot wound and will likely keep his leg. The plucky pooch responded to tests, and can soon rehabilitate the right foreleg that was damaged by a .45-caliber bullet.…

Flu shots readily available at clinics

What a difference a day makes. On Wednesday, Home Health & Hospice Care in Nashua was promoting a Monday flu clinic at the Senior Activity Center for seniors on Medicare and adults with chronic illnesses, while the city Division of…

Home developer didn’t violate law by giving Arel discount

CONCORD - In 1998, Nashua real-estate developer John Stabile sold Maurice Arel a $339,564 custom-built home at cost, essentially giving the then-Pennichuck Corp. president a $70,000 discount. Why? “We’d had a long-term business relationship. The company agreed to build a…

Photo studio gets OK from boards

WILTON- Ken and Shari Smith of Intervale Road have been given permission to operate a wedding and portrait photography studio as a home occupation. The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the plan Tuesday, adding a restriction that no darkroom or…

School’s land may be subdivided

WILTON -A plan presented by Pine Hill Waldorf School to subdivide several acres from its Pine Hill Drive site and lease the land to a Center for Anthroposophy has moved forward. On Tuesday, the Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a…

Milford school settles on building wing

MILFORD - An addition at Heron Pond School, actually a separate building nearby, is the option chosen by the School Board to deal with overcrowding. And thanks to insurance money for the arson-destroyed Garden Street School, it shouldn’t hit Milford…

Veterinarians receive outpouring of puppy love

NASHUA - Jack the dog has won many hearts, but all he needs is one good leg. The mixed breed had some extra rest before veterinarians today try to save his right foreleg from a .45-caliber gunshot wound. His caregivers…

St. Joseph Hospital delivers first triplets in 30 years

Kari Husson is an organized person, so organized that after she and her husband, Joe, learned they were having triplets, she addressed the birth announcements and did her Christmas and birthday shopping. But two weeks before her scheduled Nov. 4…

Board denies Mason withdrawal request

CONCORD - If Mason wants to withdraw from the Mascenic School District, it’s either going to have to appeal to the state Supreme Court, get new state laws passed, or else start the whole, long process over again. That’s the…

Land debt to up taxes for Hollis residents

HOLLIS - The debt payments on recent land purchases will cause the biggest increase in the town tax rate in 2005, according to a first reading of the town budget Tuesday night. That news became evident two days before voters…

More news from NHBR:

Manch Revaluation Chart
Government, Real Estate & Construction

Manchester property values jump nearly 50%

The value of all property in Manchester increased by almost half — 48% ‑ over the past five years, according to preliminary data released by city officials on Oct. 13 The valuations, compiled due to a citywide revaluation, add up to $23.09 billion. The current value of city properties is $15.56 billion, which was based on assessments made during the city's last revaluation.