Amesbury, Salisbury team up on health

VOTERS IN SPENDING MOOD - By a greater than two-thirds majority declared by the moderator at Special Town Meeting last Saturday, residents supported replacing the 57-year-old heating system at Cutler School in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District with a new computerized energy-management system designed for greater efficiency. The project will cost approximately $1.5 million, with 42.58 percent reimbursed by the state, and require a Proposition 2 1/2 override in the form of a debt exclusion that will raise property taxes for a set number of years. The town has scheduled a special election on Nov. 24, and Wenham has scheduled a Special Town Meeting Nov. 12 to vote on the project. Hamilton residents also voted against a proposal that would have allowed a call for a secret ballot at Town Meeting if 25 percent of those in attendance supported it, and in favor of the merger between North Shore Technical High School and Essex Agricultural and Technical High School. They also supported a $38,000 Community Preservation Fund distribution for the study of putting an elevator at Town Hall; $33,000 to paint Town Hall; $28,000 to replace the front steps at Town Hall; $13,000 to renovate the garage at the town cemetery; $9,400 for Weaver Pond nuisance vegetation control; and $1,000 for signs for the historic district. - David Rattigan

ENERGY-SAVINGS AUDIT - The town has entered into an agreement with Johnson Controls Inc., to conduct an energy audit of town buildings, to be followed by a proposal for measures the town could take to save energy. Johnson will be paid based on a share of projected future energy savings, Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said, with a provision that protects the town financially if those projected savings are not reached. A meeting of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Renewable Energy Committee, and Finance Committee is tentatively scheduled for January, at which time representatives from Johnson will review their findings and make recommendations. - David Rattigan

CLEARING WAY FOR PARK - Work has begun clearing overgrowth and debris at the former Tyngsboro Campground on Frost Road. The land will be converted into a passive park and recreation area by the spring. When completed, the 6-acre spot on the banks of the Merrimack River will feature park benches and picnic tables, as well as a barbecue area, children’s playground, horseshoe pit, and 2,000 feet of paved walking paths. The town’s only public access boat ramp, part of the former campground, will remain in place. The project is being paid for out of the town’s Community Preservation Act fund, based on Town Meeting’s approval of the expenditure last spring. - Karen Sackowitz

DAM COMES DOWN - Local and state officials celebrated the removal of the Winnicut River Dam with a waterside ceremony last week. The dam was built 52 years ago by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department to create habitat for waterfowl. After several years of discussion and planning, the dam was removed to restore the population of fish that use the river to migrate between their fresh- and saltwater habitats. - Tom Long

ASKING TEACHERS TO RENEGOTIATE - After dealing with multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls in the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 school years, city officials are already preparing for 2011. The Board of Education has voted to ask the teachers union to renegotiate the final year of its contract to help deal with a projected shortfall. The union‘s three-year contract is set to expire in June 2011. The union is expected to discuss the proposal at its November meeting. - Tom Long