Is The Tower FOREVER?

posted on listserv on February 24, 2013 

Does VTel have the right to buy the land at the end of the 60-year lease.  If so, then the Tower could be a landmark in Norwich FOREVER.  

There is some odd language at the end of section 3, that I think may give VTel the right "to purchase the Property at fair market value," at the end of 60 years.  Obviously that would be a disaster.  Town Manager Fulton should converse with the lawyer advising us on the LOI (please say we had a lawyer)  because the lawyer failed to advise the Town Manager on a vital term.  

My detailed analysis is after my signature.  I fear the Town is in over its head. 

Why give VTel a right of first refusal at all.  The company gets a rent-free lease for 60 years.  That is it ... done. 

[I am not a fan of the economics of the VTel deal.  We need a consultant with expertise in the industry. That is for another post.]

I'm hoping to be wrong about the right to buy and labelled an alarmist.  My advice: Sign no contract with this type of language in it. 

Thank you for reading.

Chris  

My detailed analysis is as follows.  Be forewarned, it is a snoozer.  If your kid wants to go to law school, this should help dispel the notion

Here is the pertinent text of section 3 of the LOI

"If at any time during the 60 year term the Town should seek to sell all or a portion of the Property, or should VTel exercise all renewal options for the full 60 years, VTel shall have the right of first refusal to purchase the Property at fair market value, as determined using an independent appraiser. The mechanics of the right of first refilsal will be set forth in greater detail in the Definitive Agreement."

A quick read of the provision suggests that VTel simply has a right of first refusal, if Norwich decides to sell.  But, there is an oddity.  In a typical right of first refusal, VTel has the right to buy the land on exact same terms as the proposed buyer. Here, the price VTel pays is set by an "independent appraiser".  Very strange, until looked at in the context of the clause "should VTel exercise all renewal options for the full 60 years." Stripped of non-essential terms, the right VTel has reads as follows:

"Should VTel exercise all renewal options for the full 60 years, VTel shall have the right to purchase the Property at fair market value, as determined using an independent appraiser."  The Tower is forever.

Weekly Roundup - Norwich News, for week ending February 23, 2013

Norwich, VT Man Gets 30 Days; Police Chief Not Happy
“I think he pretty much got away with it,” [Police Chief] Robinson said. “When a guy has a lot of marijuana, thousands of dollars of stolen property, (acted inappropriately) with a little girl and possessed 40 guns, a 30-day sentence is ludicrous. I was in disbelief.”
Chief Questions Norwich Man’s Sentence
By Mark Davis, Valley News Staff Writer
February 23, 2013
A Norwich man was recently sentenced to 30 days in prison on a slew of state and federal charges, including weapons possession and lewd conduct, in plea deals that the town’s police chief says were overly generous.
A federal judge last week ordered Jeff Bogie, 50, sent to federal prison for 30 days for unlawful possession of a firearm. Days later, state prosecutors finalized a deal that called for the same sentence — which will run at the same time — for charges contributing to the delinquency of the minor, prohibited acts, marijuana possession and possessing stolen property.
Bogie was initially charged in 2010 with lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl after providing her alcohol. During that investigation, police searched his home and found more than a half pound of marijuana, pills and 44 firearms, including machines guns, rifles and pistols, according to police affidavits.
Federal authorities prosecuted Bogie for being a drug user in possession of firearms: The rest of the case was handled at the state level.
Norwich Police Chief Doug Robinson said that he believes Bogie should have spent at least a couple of years in prison, and was disappointed in the leniency.

Read the rest of the story.
LINK:
http://www.vnews.com/news/police/fire/courts/4632593-95/federal-bogie-state-charges

King Arthur Flour Voluntarily Recalls Flour
Press Release
February 22, 2013

King Arthur Flour has initiated a voluntary recall of a limited number of its bags of flour due to the possible presence of small (7-9 mm) blue polyurethane balls that are used in the sifting process. The balls have a smooth surface and no sharp edges and are made from food grade material. Because of their bright blue color and size (about half the diameter of a dime), they are easily seen in the flour.

Only 5-lb. bags of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour and King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour that have a Best Used By Date and Lot Codes noted below are affected. This information is printed on the side of the bag beneath the nutrition panel. If the Best Used By Date and Lot Code number are printed on the TOP of the bag, then the product is NOT affected.


Read the rest of the story.
LINK:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/voluntaryrecall/press-release.html

Preview Of School Vote

Summary of issues on the ballot on March 5th for Norwich and Dresden schools.

Elementary Schools Plan Renovations

By Sarah Brubeck Valley News Staff Writer

February 22, 2013 

Both the Ray School and Marion Cross School are proposing to upgrade aging facilities in the coming years, and residents Hanover and Norwich residents will see the impacts at this year’s district meeting.

*  *  *

Across the river at Marion Cross School, voters will be asked to approve borrowing $450,000 to pay for a gym roof replacement and energy and ventilation improvements.

Three school budgets are in play in the Dresden towns: the Hanover budget, which covers the Ray School; the Norwich budget, which accounts for Marion Cross School; and the Dresden budget, which covers the cost of the Richmond Middle School and Hanover High School.

Additionally, a negotiated contracts for Dresden and Hanover teachers are on the ballot after voters rejected a contract last year, and there’s a contested Hanover School Board race.

Read the rest of the story.

LINK: 

http://www.vnews.com/news/schools/4556299-95/hanover-budget-dresden-board

A subscription may be required for access to the Valley News stories.

Percent Increase In Wages

This Chart shows the increase by percent in wages for each of the stated positions.  Benefits are not included.  

Position	Last Yr. Increase %	Proposed Increase %
Town Manager	16.5	8.77
Town Manager Asst	18.35	7.79
Town Clerk	3.50	15.25
Finance Director	5.00	18.52
Finance Asst	108.00	23.97
Planning Director	3.50	13.90
Planning Asst	3.50	26.12
Recreation Director	3.50	26.51
Police Chief	3.00	4.00
Fire Chief	6.28	1.76
Director of Public Works	3.50	3.16
Social Security	3.60	1.70

All "Proposed Increase %" numbers are as reported in the recently released Town Report for 2012.  The numbers listed in "Last Yr. Increase %" are from the 2011 Town Report.  Social Security numbers are from SSA.gov/cola.

Selectboard Agenda - February 27, 2013

Agenda for the Selectboard Meeting of Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 6:30 PM

(Times Are Approximate)

1)    Approval of Agenda (Action Item) 2 minutes

2)    Public Comments (Discussion) 10 minutes

3)    Town Manager’s Report (Discussion) 5 minutes

4)    Finance – Board to Sign Accounts Payable/Warrants (Action Item) 5 minutes

5)    6:45 pm – Meeting with Norwich Energy Committee (Discussion) 15 minutes

6)    7:00 pm – Meeting with Norwich Finance Committee (Discussion) 15 minutes

7)    Approval of Communications Site Lease Agreement (Ground Lease) with VTel for Tower (Discussion/Action Item) 30 minutes

8)    Approval of Lease-Purchase Agreement to Fund Norwich Portion of Radio Communications Project (Discussion/Action Item) 10 minutes

9)    Approval of Burlington Communications Service Center Purchase Order for Communications Systems Upgrades (Discussion/Action Item) 10 minutes

10) Correspondence (Discussion/Possible Action Item) 5 minutes

a)    Email from Claudette Brochu Re: Meeting Minutes

11) Selectboard

a)    Approval of the Minutes of the 1/16/13, 1/23/13 and 1/25/13 Meetings (Action Item) 5 minutes

b)    Review of Next Agenda (Discussion/Possible Action Item) 5 minutes

Tidbit: Sonic Boom or Dr. Zoom?

Did You Hear It? Loud Noise Thursday Morning May Have Been Sonic Boom

By Maggie Cassidy, Valley News Web Editor
February 21, 2013


Did you hear it?

An extremely loud noise that was heard from Norwich to Vershire — and perhaps beyond — shortly before 11 this morning may have been a sonic boom, according to an official at the Lebanon Municipal Airport air traffic control tower.

Air Traffic Manager Braxton Freeman said he couldn’t say for sure whether the noise was indeed a sonic boom, the loud noise produced by the shock wave from an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound.

But after he received an inquiry from the Hanover police dispatch and a curious resident, he put in a call to the Federal Aviation Administration traffic agency in Boston.

“They informed me that there were some F-15s working in the military operating area,” he said, “and they could have produced the sonic boom sound, but they can’t be positive.”

Read the rest of the story.

LINK:
http://www.vnews.com/opinion/featuredvoices/maggiecassidy/4606666-95/class-body-text-noise

Weekly Roundup - Norwich News, for week ending February 16, 2013

CoreValue Software Helps Small and Medium Businesses Find Value

CoreValue Software in Norwich, VT, co-founded by Chuck Richards and Lisa Kable, creates web-based software to help owners of private companies build valuable companies. A profile of the firm appeared on February 10, 2013 in the Valley News.

Finding Hidden Value: Norwich Firm Helps Small Businesses Figure Out What They're Worth 
By Warren Johnston Valley News Staff
February 10, 2013
The mission of CoreValue Software is easy to see, although it’s not readily apparent.
Clues — large photographs of aged, closed factories, steam locomotives, rusted, discarded machinery — populate the office walls of the global company that operates in the back of a two-story building with no sign on Main Street to announce its presence.
However, even the poster-sized black-and-white photos don’t give a clear picture of what CoreValue is about. The bright office, functionally furnished with sensible desks and chairs, computers, an occasional dog bowl under a desk and bags of canine treats covering an entry shelf, could house any number of businesses — perhaps a real estate firm that sells off shuttered or dying factories or an equipment brokerage that finds buyers for obsolete machines.
But instead of hovering over the decaying carcasses of outmoded industries, CoreValue’s plan is to swoop and save them with a software program that makes closely held small- and medium-sized businesses look deeply at their operations with an eye on the future.
“The photographs are a reminder of what we do, and what we’re trying to prevent,” said Lisa Kable, the president of CoreValue, who co-founded the company with Chief Executive Officer Chuck Richards.
“We feel like we’re reaching and helping business owners, and when they transfer their business, it will be a net job generator — that the business will do well and jobs will be created,” Kable said.

Read the rest of the story.
CoreValue Software Web Site
LINKS:
http://www.vnews.com/home/4102921-95/business-corevalue-businesses-companies
http://www.corevaluesoftware.com/

Former Chef at Carpenter &  Main In Minneapolis

"Man, this guy can cook" reports the Star Tribune

Lynn on Bryant: A neighborhood gem of a restaurant
By Rick Nelson, Star Tribune
February 14, 2013

REVIEW: A transplanted Vermont chef sets up a great-looking shop in south Minneapolis. Are there more chefs like him?

The Twin Cities area has more than its share of local-chefs-made-good stories, but the culinary scene has also prospered from the fresh perspectives and enviable skills brought here by gifted out-of-towners.

Including Peter Ireland. The Vermont native cooked for big-name chefs in Chicago, New York and France — then ran his own acclaimed restaurant, Carpenter & Main, in his hometown of Norwich, Vt. — before relocating to Minneapolis (where his wife, Rebecca, was enrolled in law school) and opening the Lynn on Bryant.

The name is a reference to the surrounding Lynnhurst neighborhood. That only seems right, since the Lynn is billed as a neighborhood restaurant, and its breakfast-lunch-dinner format bears that out. But with Ireland at the helm, it’s also so much more.

Man, this guy can cook. The menu is tightly focused. At dinner, it’s just six appetizers and as many entrees, which could feel limited, but doesn’t. What makes the Lynn such a remarkable dining experience is Ireland’s intrinsic ability to subtly manipulate and balance outcomes up and down the continuums of flavor and texture: bitter-sweet, tangy-mellow, crispy-silky; all masterfully exploited.

Read the rest of the story.
LINK:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/191058101.html?refer=y

Preview Of Town Meeting

Sarah Brubeck of the Valley News nicely summarizes the big topics for Town Meting 2013

Cell Tower On Warning In Norwich

By Sarah Brubeck Valley News Staff Writer
February 14, 2013

Norwich town and school budgets will be discussed Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in Tracy Hall. Voting for town officers and all warning articles will be done by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Tracy Hall.

Norwich — This year’s Town Meeting warning isn’t lacking for controversy with one nonbinding article that would authorize the Selectboard to spend $275,000 to build a new communications tower, undercutting a deal the Selectboard struck with a private telecommunications company.

Voters will also decide whether an assistant town clerk who has been working full time will have her hours reduced to part time.

The tower flap started last fall when the Selectboard authorized Town Manager Neil Fulton to sign a letter of intent with VTel, a Springfield, Vt.-based telecommunications company, that would allow the firm to lease property on New Boston Road in order to build a communications tower to provide high-speed Internet service to the area. In return, the town could freely use the tower to upgrade radio communication among the police, fire and public works departments.

Norwich residents petitioned the article that calls on the town to build and own the tower itself. Proponents said passage would show the Selectboard that there is widespread opposition in town over the deal with VTel. The article is not legally binding, however, and if it does pass ... .

Read the rest of the story.
LINK:
http://www.vnews.com/news/townbytown/norwich/4397511-95/town-budget-selectboard-increase

Town Manager Wants To End-Run Bond Vote And Sign Contract With VTel

Town Manager Fulton will ask the Selectboard at its February 27 meeting for authority to sign a contract with VTel regarding the Communication Tower.  This would seemingly moot the bond vote warned for Town Meeting.  Backers of the bond want the Town to build and own the tower itself.  The option would be foreclosed once a binding agreement is in place with VTel.  Mr. Fulton does not believe the bond will raise enough money to build the tower, although the amount is the same that the Town said it needed in a prior bond vote that was defeated in the Summer.

Should make for robust discussion at Town Eating Day the evening before.

See: Background Information on Bond Vote at Town web site.

LINK: 

http://norwich.vt.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Communications-System-Background-Information-01-29-13.pdf

Architecture Award To King Arthur Building

Review: Excellence in Vermont architecture

February 10,  2013

Donald M. Kreis
vtdigger.org

Norwich, Vt., is not Freeport, Maine. For that, someone deserves a medal.
And, as it happens, the Vermont chapter of the American Institute of Architects gave out that very medal a few weeks ago – or, at least, a merit award that was among its annual honors for excellence in Vermont architecture. The award in question went to the Burlington architectural firm of TruexCullins and its client, King Arthur Flour.
King Arthur could devour Norwich much as L.L. Bean ate Freeport, which was once a real Maine village until the catalog retailer headquartered there slowly crowded everything else out except for other national retailers and souvenir shops. Instead, the expansion of King Arthur’s retail store, bakery, school and café, pulls off a small miracle of site planning.
Using King Arthur’s existing building and its round timber-framed atrium as the centerpiece, the architects created a campus of interconnected monitor barns. They embrace a courtyard and entryway that faces away from the street. To reach the entrance, and the adjoining parking lot, visitors must navigate a sufficiently long and curved driveway as to render any aspect of the complex that might shout “tourist destination” a non-issue from the street.
If you think that’s no big deal then perhaps you have never driven through Waterbury Center. There, the Ben & Jerry’s factory and the Cold Hollow Cider Mill presumably do wonders for the local economy but tend to give the impression that servicing tour buses is the reason Vermont exists.
Cynics might deem it a cliché of contemporary Vermont architecture to appropriate the monitor barn, whose distinctive fenestrated rooflines provided light and ventilation for traditional dairy operations. But it’s an honest theft; the monitors are desirable and energy ...

Read the rest of the story. 

LINKS: 
http://vtdigger.org/2013/02/10/review-excellence-in-vermont-architecture/
See also:
http://truexcullins.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-spirit-of-vermont-in-norwich.html
http://www.vpr.net/episode/55299/kreis-aia-vermont/

Towns in Salary Study [Revised]

This table is the population, density and municipal budget of the seven towns used in the Condrey and Associates report, as well as Norwich. 

Municipalities	Population	Density pop/sq mile	Current Budget approx
Charlotte	3569	70.9	$2,800,000
Dorset	2036	42.6	1,300,000
Hanover	11,331	229.7	22,400,000
Hartford	10,367	225.9	19,100,000
Hartland	3223	71.4	2,200,000
Lebanon	13,643	326.2	35,700,000
Norwich	3,544	79.2	4,300,000
Woodstock	3,232	72.5	4,000,000

Population and density from government sources.  Budget numbers culled from various internet sources and are APPROXIMATE.  Budget numbers revised 334 PST.

All municipalities are in the Upper Valley, except Dorset (Bennington County, VT) and Charlotte (Chittenden County, VT).

Cahill of Norwich Under Consideration By Governor For State's Attorney

Two names in the ring for next Windsor County state's attorney

February 12,2013
By Christian Avard, Rutland Herald Staff Writer

Gov. Peter Shumlin will take a hard look on who to select as the next Windsor County state’s attorney. That’s because the Windsor County Democratic Committee endorsed both candidates for the job.

The Windsor County Democratic Committee passed a resolution on Monday advising the governor that David Cahill of Norwich and Michael Kainen of Hartford, are qualified for the job. Cahill and Kainen are seeking to replace outgoing State’s Attorney Robert Sand who was recently appointed by the governor to develop a new DUI court system.

The Windsor Democratic Committee acts in an advisory capacity and can only make suggestions to the governor. Windsor County Democratic Committee Chairman William Kuch was surprised by the delegates’ decision at the special meeting.

“There weren’t any ‘nays.’ I expected people wanted to make a choice and vote for one or the other,” Kuch said.

Cahill is a Windsor County Deputy state’s attorney who graduated from Dartmouth College with a major in history and German. He received his law degree from the University of Minnesota and has filed thousands of charges in a variety of criminal, civil and investigative matters in Windsor County.

Read the rest of the story.

LINK:
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130212/THISJUSTIN/130219979

Selectboard Agenda February 13, 2013

Agenda for the Selectboard Meeting of Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 6:30 PM

(Times Are Approximate)

1)    Approval of Agenda (Action Item) 2 minutes

2)    Public Comments (Discussion) 10 minutes

3)    6:45 pm – Meeting with Capital Facilities Planning & Budgeting Committee (Discussion) 15 minutes

4)    7:00 pm – Windsor County Budget (Discussion) 15 minutes

5)    7:15 pm – Meeting with Norwich Historic Preservation Commission (Discussion) 15 minutes

6)    Town Manager’s Report (Discussion) 10 minutes

7)    Finance – Board to Sign Accounts Payable/Warrants (Action Item) 5 minutes

8)    Town Meeting Presentation Strategy (Discussion) 10 minutes

9)    Request to Expend up to $2,000 from the General Administration Reserve Fund for a Computer Purchase (Discussion/Action Item) 5 minutes

10)Request for Proposals for Planning and Architectural Services for Fire, Police and Public Works Facilities (Discussion) 15 minutes

11)Correspondence (Discussion/Possible Action Item) 5 minutes

a)    Letter from Town of Lyme Board of Selectmen Re: Wilder Dam Relicensing

12)Selectboard

a)    Approval of the Minutes of the 1/9/13 Meeting (Action Item) 5 minutes

b)    Review of Next Agenda (Discussion/Possible Action Item) 5 minutes

c)    Labor Relations Agreement (Executive Session May be Required)

Next Regular Meeting – February 27, 2013 at 6:30 PM

To receive email notices of Selectboard meetings and hearings, agendas, minutes and other notices, send an email to manager-assistant@norwich.vt.us requesting to be placed on the Town Email List. 

Weekly Roundup - Norwich News, for week ending February 9, 2013

Marion Cross School To Increase Security

Dresden Tightens Schools’ Security

By Sarah Brubeck Valley News Staff Writer
Saturday, February 9, 2013

Hanover — The schools in Hanover and Norwich will have new security measures in wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. There are plans to add more security cameras, break-in resistant film on windows and magnetic locks for doors that can be activated by a push of a button, among other things.

At the same time, School Administrative Unit 70 worked with the principals of all four schools and made individualized plans for each building in an effort to maintain the sense of community in each building.

“We could turn the building into a fortress and nobody’s going to get in, but then it’s not a school anymore,” Superintendent Frank Bass said.

After the Sandy Hook shooting, Bass met with the police department and Jonathan Brush, the director of the supervisory union’s physical plant, to create concrete steps to make each building safer. The business administrator also shuffled money around so that $10,000 can be spent at each of the four school buildings out of the current budget. This means that many of the improvements will be in place by the first day of school next fall.

Since the December shooting, it has become a practice to have a daily police presence within each building. This has allowed for an increased feeling of safety, and officers have gotten to know the layout of the schools better.

Read the rest of the story.
LINK:
http://www.vnews.com/news/schools/4328493-95/building-brush-police-bass

Engagement: Cuno - Mahon 

Cuno — Mahon
Sunday, February 3, 2013
(Published in print: Sunday, February 3, 2013)

Norwich — Sarah Stewart and James Cuno, of Norwich and Santa Monica, Calif., have announced the engagement of their daughter, Claire Cuno, to Brian Mahon.

Read the rest of the story.

http://www.vnews.com/lifetimes/4119775-95/cuno-mahon-degree-norwich

State Rep Cheney Proposes Tax on Home Heating Oil

House bill proposes hike in heating fuel to pay for efficiency

Burlington Free Press
February 6, 2013
Terri Hallenbeck, Free Press Staff Writer

A new House bill would create a program for making Vermont homes more heat-efficient, just as Gov. Peter Shumlin proposed, but would tap a different tax source.

The bill, H. 216, was introduced Wednesday by Rep. Margaret Cheney, D-Norwich, and is expected to be on the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee’s agenda next week.

Cheney proposes raising $8 million a year through a 0.5 percent increase in the gross receipts tax charged to home-heating fuel and electricity. Half would go to increase the money for low-income weatherization. The other half would go to a thermal efficiency program, perhaps run by Efficiency Vermont. Like that outfit’s electric efficiency programs, this one would coordinate heating efficiency for Vermonters’ homes, Cheney said.

Gov. Peter Shumlin last month proposed similar programs, but would pay for them through a 10 percent tax on break-open tickets sold by clubs and bars. Shumlin specifically avoided proposing an increase in heating fuel taxes as unpalatable to Vermonters.

Cheney said legislators are doubtful the break-open ticket tax will generate the $17 million Shumlin claims it will. She said she’d like the money it would generate to go to the Clean Energy Development Fund, which helps pay for renewable energy projects. That was one of the programs Shumlin wanted to fund with the tax, too.

Read the rest of the story.

LINK:
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013302060031

Three high school seniors from Norwich selected as candidates for the US Presidential Scholars Program

Three students from Norwich have been selected as candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program in 2013.  They are: Gwynn G. Lyons, Samuel J. Merrens and Melanie S. Subbiah.  All three attend Hanover High School.

Candidates are invited to submit an application and additional materials to a review committee.  Semifinalists are named in early April.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors.  Candidates are identified based on having scored exceptionally well on the ACT or SAT.  In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts.

Read the rest of the February 6 vermontbiz.com story.
A list of all of the candidates is here.

LINK:
http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/february/vermont-high-school-seniors-selected-candidates-us-presidential-scholars-program
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/index.html

Norwich School Board Meets Tonight

NORWICH BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS

REGULAR MEETING

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013

7:00 P.M., MARION CROSS SCHOOL LIBRARY

AGENDA

This meeting will be convened in a public session.  Other topics arising after the posting of this notice may be discussed and acted upon.

1.      Call to order:  7:00 p.m., Marion Cross School Library

2.      Public Input

3.      Agenda Review

4.     PTO Report

5.      Business Requiring Discussion

         a.  Presentation by Matt Buck on his two-year leave

         b.  Update on school safety and security

         c.  Update on teacher evaluation process

         d.  Communication plan for sharing information on the Norwich 2013-14 budget

         e.   District meeting — final preparations

         f.   Update on school lunch program

           

6.      Business Requiring Action

         a.  Approval of minutes: January 3, January 10, and January 17, 2013

         b.  Adoption of 2013-14 school calendar

7.      Communications and Reports

         a.  Report of the Chair

         b.  Communications to the Board

         c.  Reports of Administrators

         d.  Reports of Committees and Liaisons

8.      Executive session in accordance with Title 1, Section 313, for an update on non-tenured teachers

9.      Adjournment

              

NEXT MEETING:  Wednesday, March 6, 2013, Organizational and Regular Meeting

Minutes of this meeting will be available for public inspection within five business days after the meeting (RSA 91-A:2).  Such minutes may be reviewed in the office of the Superintendent of Schools, 41 Lebanon Street, Suite 2, Hanover, NH.

Tierney of Norwich Leads Valley Community Loan Fund

New Fund Offers Businesses Lending Option

By Warren Johnston, Valley News  January 27, 2013
Lebanon — A new nonprofit group is hoping to begin soon making commercial loans to under-served small businesses and projects that will create jobs and help Upper Valley residents living in poverty.

The Valley Community Loan Fund will lend money to marginal or higher risk projects and businesses that aim to provide new jobs or workforce housing in the Upper Valley and that don’t qualify for money from banks or other conventional lenders, said Paul Tierney, of Norwich, one of the organizers and chief executive officer of the loan fund.

“We estimate that there are 35,000 people living under the poverty level and 12 percent to 15 percent of them are children,” Tierney said. “There’s a need for about 2,000 workforce housing units in our area,” The fund will serve southwestern New Hampshire and southeastern Vermont, with an initial focus on the Upper Valley.

Recent changes in the federal banking laws make it even more difficult for some small businesses and projects, such as building affordable housing, to get loans through banks. “We want to make the loans that will provide a permanent fix to help move these people out of poverty,” Tierney said.

The Valley Community Loan Fund is one of about 500 community loan funds in the country. Most of them are run by municipalities and county governments to provide economic stimulus, Tierney said.

Read the rest of the story.
LINK:
http://www.vnews.com/search/4029532-95/valley-fund-tierney-loan

Weekly Roundup - Norwich News, for week ending February 2,2013

Norwich Sidewalks Turning Blue This Winter

Thursday, 01/31/13 5:50pm

Charlotte Albright, VPR News: 

MP3

When it gets really cold, people, it's said, turn blue.

Well, in Norwich, so do the sidewalks, after they have been treated with de-icer. Town Manager Neil Fulton says there's a good reason for that.

"The purpose of the blue is so we can see it. It could have been red and green.  I've kidded some people that come next Christmas is we're going to ....do red and green instead of blue-maybe we'll be patriotic and do all three colors." Fulton said.

He's had some poly-syllabic explaining to do about the day-glo liquid brine the town is experimenting with this year.

"So it's 30 percent magnesium chloride plus the corn carbohydrates that lowers the freezing temperature of it which means it's more effective at lower temperatures. It's not as slick as other products." he said.

Fulton says this mixture has anti-corrosive agents which makes it more environmentally friendly than the typically applied sodium chloride, and he says it does not harm pets who lick it. 

"We're hopeful that if the costs are right and our experience as an effective de-icing agent are right it's something we will use in the future because it's going to cause less harm to the vegetation next to the sidewalks," Fulton said.

Read the rest of the story.  Listen to the report.

Recovering Snowboarder Pearce Keeps Busy

Plenty Of Work For Pearce
By Jared Pendak Valley News Staff Writer
Saturday, February 2, 2013


Kevin Pearce may not be competing in snowboarding events any longer, but that hasn’t stopped the former Olympic hopeful from making an impact in his sport.
Still recovering from a traumatic brain injury suffered while training in Utah three years ago, the Norwich native has become an ambassador for snowboarding safety during his recovery process.
Pearce’s message and endearing personality have been featured on both the big screen and national television lately. A film produced by HBO depicting his story and recovery, The Crash Reel, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last month and will air on TV this summer and fall.
Just last week, Pearce provided on-air commentary for ESPN during snowboarding events at the Winter X-Games, the largest extreme sports competition in the U.S.
Read the rest of the story.

Cahill Under Consideration For State's Attorney

The search for the new Windsor County state’s attorney has begun.

By Christian Avard, Rutland HeraldJanuary 28,2013

Two candidates are vying to replace outgoing State’s Attorney Robert Sand, whom Gov. Peter Shumlin recently appointed to develop a new DUI court system. According to Windsor County Democratic Committee Chairman William Kuch, 78 delegates will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at Damon Hall in Hartland to nominate the new state’s attorney.

Once they have selected a nominee, the committee will inform Shumlin and Shumlin will make a decision on the appointment. According to Kuch, many Windsor County Democrats will be watching the process very closely.

“It may not be as high profile as appointing a state senator, but there’s a lot of interest. Both candidates are very qualified,” Kuch said.

David Cahill, Democrat of Norwich, is a Windsor County deputy state’s attorney interested in becoming the new state’s attorney. He has served for seven years at criminal court in White River Junction.
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http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/97345/norwich-sidewalks-turning-blue-this-winter/
http://www.vnews.com/search/4147355-95/film-pearce-snowboarding-family
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130128/NEWS02/701289959