Stories, and sorry, Chicago

So I went to watch the Red Sox play the Pale Hose at Adam and Shannon's and I then came home. I went to check on the Lions score (and they lost, but Joey played well), and see that Rex Grossman was carted off the field with a broken ankle. I have to admit that I laughed a bit. While viewing the Bears off-season from afar, it was obvious the one thing they couldn't afford to have happen was to have Grossman go out. Now comes an interesting question. Do they stay with Chad Hutchinson, who isn't great, and go with Kyle Orton as the future guy? I think they should go out and sign Vinny Testaverde, who at the very least is a legitimate quarterback, and could compete with Hutchinson, and could be a legitimate QB to start the season with, one that would give them a shot. It's too bad for Grossman, who I like, because, he keeps getting hurt. Its not like he's failed, he just hasn't been on the field. The question will be why was he out in the second quarter of a preseason game, where you’re almost asking for something bad to happen? Still, I guess this was the great failure of the Bears this winter coming back to bite them. Now Chicago will trudge down Michigan Ave. and consume Billy Goat burgers, and Mr. Beef Italian beef sandwiches, along with plenty of Old Style, to drown the pain. I guess it could be worse.

Here's this week's stories:


Truck accident causes phone outage; What happens next?
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
ALTON — An accident involving a tractor-trailer knocked out phone service to Alton, Barnstead, New Durham and other communities for more than two hours Monday, Aug. 8.
According to Alton Fire Chief Alan Johnson, the truck was traveling on Rte. 140 at around 10:30 a.m., and was either riding too high, or simply connected with low hanging telephone wires in the area, causing the outage. The broken cable also caused an accident, as a trailing motorcyclist was struck by the wire. Johnson reported that the truck had been stopped later that day.
What concerned Johnson, and other officials in the area, most, was that along with local and long-distance services, 911 service was also lost in these communities. The problem, Johnson said, came was because of the lack of a default number provided by the telephone company used by the towns. "If you lose the main lines in other towns, the calls will go to a default number. If you dialed 911 right now (during the down-time), it would tell you the switch was out of service." Johnson said the only service in Alton came through the dispatch center.
All told, the outage lasted more approximately two and one half hours. But very soon, according to Johnson, there might be a move to change the situation. "This is an issue that I see – there’s currently no default number for the town of Alton."
Barnstead Police Chief Ken Borgia echoed the remarks made by Johnson. "This is an issue that is going to be discussed with the selectmen. Hopefully we can get this resolved before any future incident." According to Borgia, Barnstead Fire Chief George Krause was also concerned about this, and had in fact looked at the problem in the past.


Board hears opinions on driveway ordinance
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
ALTON — Residents spoke up at Monday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, worried about the possible ramifications of proposed restrictions on driveways in the area.
The Board had looked at these restrictions in response to Fire Department concerns about the length and steepness of many new driveways. The department questions whether or not the town’s vehicles would be able to reach these homes in an emergency.
Fire Chief Alan Johnson appeared at the meeting, along with photographs he had taken of areas which concerned him (see photo, page A5). "We’re having issues with some of the larger roads," said Johnson.
He identified the area around the Alton Shores development as a problem and said that delivery trucks had had a difficult time there as well.
Johnson also pointed to the number of calls the Department had received, more than 100 in July, as evidence as to why the board should at least look at the possibility of setting up restrictions. The initial draft of such rules being looked at by the board included a provision that a homeowner could receive a waiver on the restrictions if they signed an indemnification to the town.
Public input began with Fire Department member Ned Consentino, who wondered what would happen in the future with the indemnifications after a house was sold.
Earl Bagley told the board he believed a certain pitch, or steepness, of a driveway could not be maintained by a homeowner, and that "somewhere down the line, you need to say how long a private road (can be)."
Landowner Van Hertel said that he was "very strongly opposed to the ordinance." Hertel believed that the proposed restrictions unfairly burdened owners of existing lots, and felt that if the town were to put in an ordinance, it should be for new lots only. Hertel was also concerned about the restrictions on the slope of the driveways allowed in the area, citing the hilly nature of much of the land in Alton.
Residents spoke up about another side to widening roads: the greater likelihood that someone may speed. Some questioned whether or not the fire department really needed to be concerned about this. Scott Williams, a member of the department, said, "We’ve never not been able to get into a driveway." Board chairman Alan Sherwood said the board was primarily looking for a compromise, and that the board would take into account the input from the meeting in working with the fire chief to set up another draft.
Other Business
The board announced that there would be an open house Saturday at the Town Hall, from 9 to 11 a.m. in conjunction with Old Home Days.
The board granted approval of waivers for an improved septic design at the Half-Moon Cottage Colony. The new system would be taking the place of an old, outdated one.
The board also announced a return to a more traditional schedule in September. The selectmen agreed to meet on the first Tuesday of the month (after Labor Day), Sept. 6, and then meet on the third Monday, Sept. 19.
Resident Greg Fuller brought up potential safety hazards, especially for children, at the Swap Shop at the town dump.
Finally, the board voted to accept the offer of Health Trust Service to take over the billing responsibilities for retired town employees. Currently, town employees needed to take time to work on sending mailings out.


Planning Board approves Goodrich application
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
BARNSTEAD — After a lengthy series of questions, the Barnstead Planning Board approved waivers for the current plans for Clarke Goodrich’s subdivision along Narrow Road, and ultimately accepted and approved the plan at their August 4 meeting.
Much of the controversy about the plan stemmed from its location, as it sits between to parcels of town owned conservation land. Members of the planning board are trying to come together with Goodrich on a plan for what might happen to the land if Goodrich sold or passed along the property.
Secretary David Allen and others urged a solution, which might give the town some right of first refusal on portions of the subdivision if it was to be sold or passed along. Goodrich initially was hesitant, stating, "I can’t predict the future about this land. I have no intention of developing beyond the subdivision…let future boards look at what might happen in the future." Eventually, however, Goodrich said that the area behind the lots was considered "unbuildable," with hilly areas and wetlands, and Goodrich and his representative said they would look into the possibility of placing such a note, giving the town right of first refusal on that portion of the property, on the plans.
The other main point of contention was the maintenance of the road being put into the area. Goodrich said that the residents of the subdivision would keep up the road. There was some concern among board members about whether the road would continue to remain private in perpetuity, however.
Goodrich said he "would intend on owning the road, to keep it from being a hassle to the town." Member David Kerr, however, worried that the current plans, which called for the area to be used as vacation homes, might not change and that the area might well become permanent dwellings. The board did, however, ultimately accept the environmental waiver as well, and Kerr again voiced his worries about future road ownership and traffic when he voted "no" on the conditional approval of the application.
North Barnstead Road
Much of the public attending the meeting were there to address the board about the property owned by John and Frank Capone and Anthony Alba. The abutters are concerned about a sub-division, which would create six new lots on a 10-lot subdivision (there are already four buildings in place). Current problems with drainage along the back of the property, abutters feared, would be exacerbated by the new buildings. Board members pointed out, however, that the applicants were not responsible for correcting the current problem, only to minimize the impact of their own property. However, the board did urge the applicants to have someone look at the drainage issues raised by the abutters.
The most controversial moments of the night came in the discussion of whether or not the board would waive the fiscal impact study for this subdivision. Board members were concerned that the newly built properties, which would be permanent, needed to be looked at in terms of how much money the new buildings would cost the town in education and maintenance.
The applicants said they did not understand the need for such a study, especially since the previous applicant (Goodrich) had been given such a waiver, and was putting in more new lots. Alba said that the houses would be bringing revenue into the city and asked, "What will be the burden to the town?" Ultimately, however, the board voted to require the impact study, as well as to require a look at the environmental and drainage issues involved at the site.


Barbershoppers bring ‘Harmony’ to Alton
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
ALTON — After a five year hiatus, fans of harmony and barbershop music can again find a home for a weekend in Alton, as barbershoppers return to the town for the "Harmony on the Lake Festival," Aug. 19 and 20. This is hosted by the Alton Centennial Rotary Club and the Nashua chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
For more than 50 years, barbershop quartets made their way to Alton, with the help of Alton residents Lester and Aida Downing. After their deaths, says Event Doug Dore, chairman of the Alton Centennial Rotary Club, "it was getting very hard (for the Downing descendents) to get help the last few years. There was no one on this end to help these things."
This year, the Rotary Club has revived the tradition, working with selectmen (to put an event in Alton Bay), with Prospect Mountain High School (to hold a large concert in the school’s auditorium), and the American Legion (to provide an "after-glow" event for the singers).
The high school is the change most exciting the singers, according to Dore, "A lot of the barber-shoppers said the old school wasn’t air-conditioned, and the concerts were on hot August nights. The auditorium at the high school has air-conditioning."
The festival kicks off Friday at noon in Alton Bay’s Railroad Square Park at the town boat docks, and will culminate Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. with a concert in the auditorium of Prospect Mountain High School (Route 28, south of the Alton Traffic Circle).
There will be several free informal workshops on Saturday. Everyone is invited to show his or her talents by joining in songs in harmony or participating in a one-hour "learn to sing" lesson. Quartets will entertain those who prefer to relax on the Winnipesaukee Belle, an old Mississippi river paddle wheeler, which will depart from the Alton Bay town dock at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
There will also be a silent auction, vendor stands, information on local community organizations, barbershop history, and a variety of food booths, including a spectacular southern BBQ, in the area around the docks.
The biggest event will be the Barbershop Harmony Show, held at PMHS Saturday evening, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. This show features barbershop choruses and quartets from around New England singing a variety of songs that celebrate the "golden age" of American songwriting.
Highlighting the program is "The Granite Statesmen" Barbershop chorus, which features 50 performing members in an all-male chorus. The Granite Statesmen’s president, Roger Menard, said the "barbershoppers are excited" about returning to Alton.
"There (are) a lot of happy memories, and a lot of excitement about returning." Menard also pointed with excitement at many of the other events on the schedule.
Dore said he was also hoping to take quartets out on the Bay on his pontoon boat "to sing to the boats." Dore says that in the future, the Rotary Club is looking to expand the festival to include other areas of Lake Winnipesaukee as well, perhaps taking various quartets to the other ports on the lake via pontoon boats.
Menard described barbershop as "a unique and traditional American art form." In bringing it back to Alton, he says, residents will again have the opportunity to "learn, listen, sing and eat." A full schedule of events at the festival can be found at www.granitestatesmen.org, and tickets for the Saturday event can be purchased at the Profile Bank in Alton.


Local crafters show at annual fair
By Jim Shilander
Staff Writer
NEWBURY — Artisans from towns across the Lakes Region, and across various mediums, are among the more than three hundred participating artists participating in the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Annual Fair at Mount Sunapee Resort.
The event, which runs until Aug. 14, features "about 200 booths," according to Carol Fusaro, a public relations representative for the group. "More than 5,000 people were there Saturday (Aug. 6, the opening day of the fair)." Tents house demonstrations by artists from various mediums, as well as musical groups and the booths themselves.
Jennifer Kalled, of Wolfeboro, says she has been exhibiting since the late 70s. Kalled has been working in jewelry for the last 27 years, and works "primarily in 22 and 18-carat gold, with precious and colored stones." Kalled is also quick to point to her use of drusy quartz, which comes from the inside of geodes. Kalled’s booth was also a family operation, her daughter, Alie, assisted her mother by modeling jewelry and answering customers’ questions.
Teresa Taylor, of Barnstead, who runs Salty Dog Pottery and is an exhibitor at the event, and has been for 29 years, says that the event "gets bigger every year." Taylor primarily works in clay, creating what she describes as "functional and decorative pottery." She said she builds most of her pieces by hand, or by using a potter’s wheel. Taylor also says that her use of a salt-fired kiln makes her unique among her peers, "most potters don’t use that type of kiln."
Wolfeboro etching artist David Olson was among the group of artists who were the first to exhibit at the resort in the early 70s. "It was really fun. It was a very small community. We had tents on Lake Sunapee, and our kids would slide down (the ski hills). Olson and his wife, Susan Dean Olson, a teacher at Kingswood Regional High School, remembered listening to radios with various other craftspeople the night Richard Nixon resigned from office. Olson’s work primarily consists of his hand colored etchings of New England scenes, which he creates by using special equipment to put the design on a zinc or copper plate, then printing and hand coloring the design.
Alton has two of the more unique artists at the event. Nancy Stillwagon, creates what she calls "quaints (quilted paintings)," by painting or drawing on linen fabric, and then "quilting the focal points to create depth and softness." Stillwagon has been exhibiting at the event for more than 20 years, and has been working on her unique art form since she was 17.
Sandra White, of Alton, is the only artist working in paper at the event. Her art form, quilling, is the creation of images using tiny, rolled, pieces of paper. White says that she has been exhibiting at the Sunapee event for 19 years, and that her art form, one dating back to the middle ages, is still unique. "I haven’t run into anyone else in 30 years doing quilling."
Mirror Lake photographer Mark Klein, who specializes in "Rural images" of New England, is also an exhibitor.
Awards for Excellence presented at the preview party included the E.L. Grodin Best Collaborative Design Award, which went to Sarah Burns of New Durham and Dustin Coates, of Etna.