Antrim

Peterborough Recreation’s area soccer program may be out of action next year, as a closer look at the controversy that arose between Antrim and Peterborough over the cost of paint for soccer field lines revealed a deeper problem.

“I think it is a symptom of what we’re facing at this point,” said Peterborough town administrator Pam Brenner. “I don’t know about Antrim but Peterborough has had a flat budget for four years, and cut positions through attrition, and we’ve absorbed a $300,000 shortfall of revenue from the state last year. We’re all strapped at this point.”

Antrim has also faced a shortfall in revenue, as every town has because of state cuts in revenues to towns, and Antrim is also working through paying off a deficit.

“Yes, certainly in Antrim we’ve seen tightening budgets,” said Antrim Recreation Director Celeste Lunetta. “Peterborough has asked us to donate the paint to them. We did not budget for the paint for the Peterborough Soccer League, and have had an 18 percent reduction in our budget over the past two years.”

Nearly a year after a large municipal deficit was unearthed in Antrim, the forensic audit many felt was necessary to figure out what happened may now be on the way to the scrap heap with another $7,100 of taxpayers money.

Jeff Graham of Graham and Graham was scheduled to appear before the selectmen last Monday, to both give them an update and explain why the forensic audit was taking so long. The firm was hired in December, but so far they haven’t come up with any results. And Graham disappointed them again by not only not showing up, but by not even informing the selectmen he would be late or not coming.

After addressing other issues on the agenda, and then having a short non-public session on another matter, the selectmen decided a letter should be written to the firm, informing them of their decision to move on. Although the selectmen didn’t take a formal vote on Graham and Graham, they were unanimous in their decision to write the letter. A formal vote will be taken at their next meeting on June 14.

The Antrim Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) unanimously granted the appeal made by Richard and Loranne Block et al against the Planning Board decision to approve a site plan review for Antrim Wind Power, a subsidiary of Eolian Renewable Energy, to erect a meteorological (met) tower on Tuttle Hill. Eolian has 30 days from Tuesday night’s meeting to respond.

The met tower was erected last November on Thanksgiving weekend, after a variance for height was granted to Eolian by the ZBA. This was the manner in which the town planner and town attorney advised them to proceed, which was under the small wind energy ordinance. However, Eolian later applied for a site plan review from the Planning Board, which the company was given after the fact of erecting the met tower. It was this site plan review approval that was overturned on Tuesday by the ZBA.

Rebekah Leigh Warren was only 16 when an accident took her life early Saturday morning. A quirky, expressive, bright spirit, Bekah was loved by many in the ConVal high school community, where she was a freshman. She spent the last eleven days of her life mourning for and celebrating the life of her father, Larry Warren, the minister in the Antrim Church of Christ who recently lost his battle with cancer.

The white memorial cross on Old Hancock Road in Antrim, marking the spot where a pickup truck she was a passenger in slipped off the road and hit a tree, saw a steady stream of friends visit it in the past few days.

“There’s been hundreds of kids here this weekend,” said Stephanie Frosch, whose home is just across the road from Bekah’s cross.

Flowers, beads and notes crowded about a white cross and a picture of Bekah were joined by a second cross her brother, Nicholas, brought by on Monday. He placed the green cross against the tree with an open invitation for anyone who knew Bekah to sign it. Bekah leaves scores of friends, five brothers, three sisters and her mother, Linda, behind.

Antrim town administrator Galen Stearns gave the selectmen optimistic news about the town’s debt in his quarterly financial update on Monday.

“Last year at this time the town was in debt $3.2 million,” said Stearns. “This year it is $1.6 million.”

Last year’s debt at this time included a $1.2 million deficit, hefty monthly payments in arrears to the ConVal school district, and a tax anticipation note (TAN) of $1.3 million. Although the town has had to take out another TAN this year, which was just recently increased from $1.3 million to $1.6 million, payments to the ConVal school district are covered and up to date through June, when the town will collect taxes again. The Tan will be paid off at that time.

Stearns said he hoped not to have to take out another TAN for the town until late September or October. That TAN would be paid off by taxes collected in December and would be considerably less than the current amount owed.

“We’re getting there a whole lot quicker than I thought we would have six months ago,” said Stearns of catching up with the town debt.

The Antrim Planning Board approved a site plan review on Thursday for the meteorological (met) tower on Tuttle Hill, which has been there since Nov. 20, shortly after the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) approved a height variance through the Small Wind Energy Ordinance.

The met tower is collecting data for Antrim Wind Power, whose parent company is Eolian. The data will be used to decide whether wind currents on Tuttle Hill are substantial enough to support electricity-generating windmills, much like those in Lempster.

Thursday’s vote was four to two, with six Planning Board members present. Voting for it were Chairman C.R. Willeke, Scott Burnside, Joe Koziell and Andrew Robblee. Voting against were two new members who were previously alternates, David Dubois and Jesse Lazar.

Antrim town administrator Galen Stearns warned the selectmen at Monday’s meeting that April and May will be fiscally very lean months for the town, as it recovers from a $1.2 million deficit and other unusual debt. He predicts the town will see a shortfall of $600,000 before the town again collects taxes in June.

“I don’t have an answer, but dong nothing is unacceptable,” said selectman Gordon Webber.

However, Stearns has already been working on ways to defray the shortfall.

The town presently has a TAN, or tax anticipation note, authorized for up to $1.3 million, for which payment will be due once taxes are collected in June, and the town begins another tax period from July through December.

“We’ve borrowed $900,000, and may increase it to $1.5 million,” said Stearns of the current TAN.

That would take of the $600,000 shortfall, but it is not a route Stearns wants the town to take, considering interest on last year’s $1.3 million TAN cost the town $24,000.

“If we can get away from paying that kind of interest, that is more cash the town can use for general operations,” Stearns pointed out.

Antrim’s Main Street was eerily dark on Monday night, as all electricity was cut off in the town’s central buildings to stave off chances of any more damage while more than a hundred spectators gathered to watch scores of firefighters from at least eight towns douse the Barrett Block, one of the community’s oldest buildings.

Fortunately, no one was hurt. The cause of the fire still remains under investigation, as investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office continue to examine the remains and collect information from interviews and photographs taken by spectators.

Tongues of flame leapt from the roof and shot from the windows as more than half a dozen streams of water shot from firefighters’ hoses. Controlling the flames from well above the three-story Mansard roof, firefighters Bryan Parenteau and Matt Mackey perched at the very top of the extension of Hillsborough’s ladder truck shot a stream of water directly down on the blazing 19th century building.

Shelley Doris Nelkens filed to run for the Antrim planning board, but has now withdrawn from the race.

“I have decided not to run for Planning Board after learning that two perfectly capable people, Jesse Lazar and David DuBois are running for the two vacant positions,” Nelkens said.

Although she spoke to state officials about withdrawing her name from the ballot, she was told that election law does not allow for an omission once a candidate has filed. She asks that voters dismiss he name as it officially appears on the ballot as Doris Nelkens.

Admittedly new to the planning board, an alternate who started in October, David Dubois is an experience builder who is seeking a full seat on the board. Dubois is also new to Antrim, having moved to town a year-and-a-half ago.

“I’m a builder, and I’ve seen other boards from the other side of the table as an applicant,” said Dubois. “I have an interest in planning and controlling development. I lived in Wilton for 31 years and I’ve seen the impact of the growth of surrounding towns, the impact that it’s had on Wilton. Antrim has a unique rural character, and I’d like to see that preserved for as long as possible.”

Dubois went on to say, “From my experience with other boards, I can say that Antrim has a very good planning board currently. The members seem to do a very good job of balancing the regulations with the rights of property owners, and handle themselves in a very responsible way.”