Exeter River Study forming plans for Great Dam

Modifications to the Great Dam, the future of local fisheries, and water quality were among the issues discussed during the Exeter River Study project’s first meeting of 2007. Held on Wednesday, May 23, the meeting was aimed at establishing a comprehensive plan to simultaneously address environmental and community concerns.

Lionel Ingram, Exeter selectman and member of the Exeter River Study project, said that while a variety of issues surround the river, discussion focused on potential modifications to the Great Dam.

According to a river study conducted by the Wright-Pierce civil and environmental consulting firm, the dam does not meet state specifications for dealing with predicted flood events that typically occur every 10 and 50 years. Equally troubling is the fact that the low-level discharge gate installed to manage high water only lowers the water level by a mere four inches during flood periods, the study found.

Members of the project worry that upstream bridges could be wiped out by heavy flooding. “We want to make sure that whatever we do to the dam will reduce the impact on flooding upstream by the Great Bridge,” Ingram said. 

Ingram said the meeting also included “brief discussion on the possibility of using the dam as a source for electricity,” an idea supported by many community members. But Ted Diers of the N.H. Department of Environmental Services is skeptical about the dam’s ability to meet flood safety standards and provide energy. “Right now, with the cost of energy so high, people are always looking for alternatives,” Diers said. “But generally, hydroelectric providers want to manage the level of water differently than other facilities.” 

So what’s next for the Exeter River Study? Ingram said members would draft a proposal for the Board of Selectmen regarding funds for research on dam modifications. The town will have a chance to vote on the proposal next March, and, if passed, construction would start in 2009.

Exeter area schools add virtual classroom

Gone are the days when getting ready for school meant combing your hair, packing your bag and walking with friends in the cool morning air. Students in SAU 16 will soon be able to roll out of bed, prop themselves in front of a computer and push a power button to start their school day. The Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) will begin offering supplemental online courses in January 2008. The N.H. Board of Education approved the school on May 9; funding will come from the state. Beginning in September 2008, students will be able to take all of their classes through VLACS.

According to Steve Kossakoski, assistant superintendent for technology and research in SAU 16, the VLACS office will be located at the Tuck Learning Campus, which formerly housed Exeter High School. Teachers will work from their homes and will be available for communication with students and parents via email and phone messages. Courses in math, science, foreign language, art, music and physical education will all be available through VLACS. In physical education, students will develop personal fitness plans, learn about nutrition and monitor their own progress.  

Individual schools in SAU 16 will decide how many VLACS courses to accept toward a student’s graduation requirements. Schools must also decide whether or not to grant students access to their computer labs. Otherwise, students will be expected to supply their own computers with Internet access. “It’s too early in the process to know if a lot of schools will take advantage,” Kossakoski said.

rumors of a new Wal-Mart in Newmarket are unsubstantiated

Rumors of plans for a new Wal-Mart store in Newmarket have elicited passionate—if premature—speculation.   
Newmarket Town Planner Diane Hardy said she isn’t sure how the rumors started. “This is a small town, and news travels quickly. Maybe it spread through word of mouth from landowners or from people in the development world,” Hardy said. But no formal steps have been taken by Wal-Mart that would confirm its interest in developing a new store in Newmarket.

An engineering firm recently contacted the town planning office and asked about zoning for the Rockingham Country Club, but the firm did not disclose who it represented, Hardy said. “We get a lot of calls from people doing market analyses,” she added. The golf course off Route 108 is not zoned for retail use. In order to build a store there, Wal-Mart would have to propose a zoning amendment to the Town Council. The council would then hold several public hearings before forwarding the proposal to the planning board, which would hold more public hearings and potentially draw up a new ordinance.

If the site were rezoned, Wal-Mart would have to go through a thorough planning board review process, Hardy explained. During that process, the town, along with several hired consultants, would analyze the store’s potential impacts on traffic, the environment, tax revenue and the economy. 

“There are no large-scale, big-box type developments in Newmarket,” Hardy said, noting that such developments have stirred mixed feelings from the public. While many people enjoy the low-cost products offered at Wal-Mart and believe that each new store creates ample job opportunities, others allege that the company exploits labor and creates long-term economic problems with its dependence on foreign products.

South Berwick considers downtown parking permits

Town officials held a meeting two weeks ago to brainstorm a process for issuing permits to residents of apartments near Paul Street in the town center. Currently, they must jockey for parking spaces along the sidewalk. With these permits, residents would have access to reserved 24-hour spaces in the small public lot near the apartment buildings. Although South Berwick does not have as significant a parking issue as larger communities like Dover and Portsmouth, there is a lack of reserved parking for residents in some areas.

The idea is still in the planning stage, and the logistics have yet to be finalized, said Town Manager Jeffery Grossman. “This plan would definitely involve buying a parking permit, but we still need to figure out how that would work and how much it would cost,” he said.

Police Chief Dana Lajoie also attended the meeting, but said he did not expect permits to have a significant impact on law enforcement. South Berwick presently sees few parking violations, and the creation of reserved spaces would only make things easier. “With the parking permits, this wouldn’t be difficult to enforce at all,” Lajoie said.

Fire Chief George Gorman has previously voiced concerns about on-street parking along nearby Norton and Goodwin streets, the corridor used to detour traffic around Route 4. He recommended removing the spaces because they contribute to traffic issues during events like the recent Memorial Day parade. “It’s almost impossible for large vehicles like the fire engines to navigate the street with all the cars parked along it,” Gorman said. 

There was no final decision or vote at the meeting, but Grossman expects a proposal to be ready after a few more workshops.