Bob Ells Joins the Select Board

Last night the Orange Select Board chose Bob to fill the remainder of Linda Giner's term. He'll serve until Town Meeting next spring. Though Linda chaired the meeting, she didn't have a vote for her replacement.

Three candidates put themselves up for the post. George White also applied, along with Henry Minasian. The Board had interviewed Bob at the previous meeting. This time they questioned George and Henry. Linda asked the first question: "In the past, the Board has been seen as contentious. How would you keep it sailing smoothly?"

George answered that "the Board needs to do the right thing...and hasn't in the past." Henry answered that the Board had had "a three-year improvement in contention," becoming more amicable as time went on.

Dorothy asked George and Henry what their three top priorities would be. George answered, "My top thing would be to get people to work together." He said he didn't have any specific items. Henry answered with his record as former chair of the Board, improving record keeping and increasing the efficiency of government. Pat Mercer spoke, reporting that George had been studying state statues for the past year.

When it came time for the Board to choose, Dorothy mentioned the criteria that the Board had agreed to use. The new member, she said, should be practical, experienced, and committed to the drama-free running of the town. She noted that all three candidates are qualified, and she thanked each for stepping up. She also also said that the chosen candidate would be filling a "caretaker" role, serving just nine months, and that she wasn't looking for someone with an agenda. She said that, given these criteria, Bob Ells would be the best person for the slot.

Betty spoke to each of the candidates, saying to Henry that their different outlook on life would make it difficult to work together. She told George that, while his experience as road agent would be valuable on the board, she found him too "angry" sometimes. She said she didn't know Bob as well. "Are you willing to serve?" she asked him. "I'll do my best," Bob replied. And Betty said she chose Bob. He'll be sworn in at the end of the next meeting, June 26.

If you were at the meeting and want to report a different angle, feel free to comment.

Is a Wind Farm Near Cardigan a Good Idea?

A wind power company is exploring building a set of large windmills in Alexandria, Grafton and Danbury, whose 140-foot blades would power 60,000 homes. Atlantic Wind has already built a wind farm in Lempster. The one near Cardigan would comprise two dozen towers as tall as 250 feet apiece. Most of us in Orange wouldn't see it, but it would be clearly visible from the summit of Cardigan. The company has already built data-collection towers on Melvin Mountain, Forbes Mountain, and Tinkham Hill, according to the Valley News. (You can read the newspaper's story here.)

The wind farm itself would take years to build at a cost of about $120 million, and current energy economics don't make it a sure thing. But wind power seems inevitable in our neck of the woods. What do you think about it?

The Orange Conservation Commission discussed it, and Dorothy Heinrichs looked about for information. You'll find the best summary here. Other useful links:

National Geographic: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/wind-power-profile/ 

American Wind Energy Association: http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/upload/4Q-11-New-Hampshire.pdf 

Pros and Cons: http://energyinformative.org/wind-energy-pros-and-cons/ 

June 7, 2012 article on anti-wind movement in Vermont: http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/06/07/path-for-turbine-wind-projects-not-getting-any-easier-in-vermont/ 

If you have an opinion of your own on the issue, feel free to comment below.  Or start a new discussion in the Discussion Board. Just don't be too windy!

Select Board Agenda

Don't forget, the next meeting is on Monday, June 11.  Here's the core of the agenda:

• Discussion of the protocol for Select Board minutes.
• State Senator Jeanie Forester speaks.
• Judy Lindahl's abatement applications.
• The Board interviews George White and Henry Minasian for the open Selectman's slot. (Bob Ells, the other candidate, has already done his interview.) 
• The Board reviews and considers signing the Cross Country 2012 contract for pickups.

We were told that the Board had planned to choose the next Selectman at this same meeting, though it doesn't appear on the agenda. As soon as we get clarification we'll post a follow-up. Stay tuned!

Update on Friday, June 8, 2012 at 5:03PM by OrangeNH

OK, we got confirmation from Dorothy Heinrichs: The Board (meaning Dorothy and Betty Fulton) will choose their new colleague at the meeting on Monday. The candidates are Bob Ells, Henry Minasian, and George White. Feel free to put in your two cents in the comments below or on the Discussion Board.

Sewer Construction on Route 4

Hoo boy. They're going to be tearing up the road in Enfield this summer. The town is constructing a mile-long sewer extention from Baltic Street to the border with Canaan. Work will go from 7am to 6pm every weekday. Traffic heading toward Lebanon will get priority in the morning until 1pm. Then traffic going our way gets favored. But there will be two-way traffic--with flaggers--all day. The impact zone will average around 500 or 600 feet.

Here's a map we got from the Enfield website.

Wolf Sanctuary for Sale

A 227-acre site on the Alexandria side of Cardigan is being auctioned this Friday. It's home to a number of rescued wolf hybrids--54 of them in 2010. Does anyone know what the plans are for the wolves?

Here's a video that Dave Ferrolo of New Hampshire Alive did.

Wolf Rescue & Sanctuary by DaveFerrolo