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F 91 EAGLE HALL — — Cover Photo - The Eagle on Eagle Hall The first eagle on the belfry ofthe original Town House - now known as "Eagle Hall" - was erected in 1846. It was carved - apparently in three pieces from yellow pine and painted with gold leaf - by a Mr. Chamberlain believed to be from Boston. Unfortunately, no further information is known about this gentleman. The original eagle had a six-foot wing span and was brought to Milford by horse-drawn wagon. The cost of this eagle and its erection on the Town House amounted to $64.50, which funds were raised by the Town ofMilford (by order of the Committee on Repairs of the Town House) which contributed $20.00 to the cost with the balance of the funds coming from donations from private citizens in amounts ranging from $1.00 to $5.00. The eagle remained standing until 1928 when it suffered damage to a foot and a wing. It was taken down, allowed to dry out, repaired and re-erected in 1930. In 1996, the eagle again suffered damage when it lost a wing in a windstorm. Once more, the eagle was removed from its perch, however, upon examination, it was found that the old wooden bird was too decayed for repairs and a return to a life high above the Oval. Along came Dalton Jewett, a lifelong resident of Milford and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Odd Fellows (Custos Morum Lodge #42 IOOF), which organization has owned "Eagle Hall" since 1920. Mr. Jewett decided that Milford needed another eagle and set about raising funds and finding a sculptor - a process that took three years to complete. Mr. Jewett chose the world-renowned sculptor, John M. Weidman of Brookline, NH, for the project. Mr. Weidman undertook considerable research to develop the best-possible construction technique for the new eagle. He chose aged Western red cedar because this wood is resistant to pests and the weather. The special lumber was donated by P.J. Currier Lumber Co., Inc of Amherst, NH. To strengthen the wings and allow them to bend slightly in the wind without breaking, Mr. Weidman inserted five carbon boron rods into each wing. To the finished product he applied two coats of primer, one coat of sizing and then, with the assistance of his wife, painstakingly applied 23-carat gold leafimported from Germany. The new eagle has a wing span of 8 feet, 9 inches and a body 6 inches longer than the original bird. It was carved in three pieces - like its predecessor - and the finished product was then attached to a green dome. The completed unit weighs 400 pounds and, according to the Smithsonian Institute, is the largest carved eagle in the United States. 1 At 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15, 1999, the new eagle was raised to its aerie on "Eagle Hall." It was transported from Mr. Weidman's studio in Brookline by Dalton Jewett in the back of his open pick-up truck. The eagle stood on display on the Oval for two hours - allowing the large crowd of spectators the opportunity to view close up this magnificent work of art. The eagle was then placed in a harness and raised to its final proud resting place by a crane donated by Able Crane Service, Inc. ofMerrimack, NH. The crane was operated by Carl Hatfield, owner of the company. A long rope had been secured to the harness and, with Dalton Jewett on the other end, any swing the eagle might have developed in its flight to the belfry was thus eliminated. John Weidman and the contractor, Steve Duncanson, were raised by a 125-foot hydraulic lift rented from National Home Repair of Milford. They met the eagle at the belfry and proceeded to secure it in place. A long, square metal rod protruded from the belfry - the other end ofwhich was secured inside the building. The eagle was carefully lowered onto this rod which was then bolted in the inside body of the bird. The green dome upon which the eagle stands was then tarred to the roof. Mr. Weidman had constructed a trap door in the back ofthe bird to provide access to the bolts attaching it to the metal rod. Before closing the trap door, the sculptor inserted instructions on removing the eagle when the need arises. Just because he wanted to do it, Steven Duncanson added a brand-new 1999 quarter piece inside the eagle. The cost of the new eagle and planned repairs to the old bird amounted to approximately $12,000, with the cost of erection being about $4,500. Funds for this project were raised by Mr. Jewett with major contributions coming from Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc., the General Frank E. Kaley Foundation, and the Arthur L. Keyes Memorial Trust, all ofMilford, NH. Sculptor Weidman will, over a period oftime, repair the old eagle after which it will be placed on permanent indoor display at a location still to be determined. Submitted by, Lorraine Carson Town Lands Researcher 1 —INDEX- TOWN OFFICERS 5 CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 10 DEPARTMENT REPORTS: AMBULANCE SERVICE 1 ASSESSING DEPARTMENT 14 BUILDING/CODE ENFORCEMENT 17 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 61 FIRE DEPARTMENT 19 MACCBASE 23 PARKS & RECREATION 24 PLANNING/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT/HEALTH 27 POLICE DEPARTMENT 29 PUBLIC WORKS 31 TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR 44 WADLEIGH MEMORIAL LIBRARY (TRUSTEE'S REPORT) 49 WADLEIGH MEMORIAL LIBRARY (DIRECTOR'S REPORT) 51 WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY 57 WELFARE DEPARTMENT 60 AREA MEDIATION 62 HOST HOMES PROGRAM 64 BOARD REPORTS: CONSERVATION COMMISSION 65 FOREST FIRE WARDEN & STATE FOREST RANGER 68 NASHUA REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION 70 PLANNING BOARD 72 ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT 73 COMMITTEE REPORTS: DOWNTOWN ONGOING IMPROVEMENT TEAM (DO-IT) 74 GREAT PUMPKIN FESTIVAL 78 JOINT LOSS MANAGEMENT/SAFETY COMMITTEE 13 MILFORD INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (MIDC) 80 TOWN HALL AUDITORIUM RESTORATION (THARC) 73 AUDITOR'S REPORT 81 TREASURER'S REPORT 91 TRUSTEES OF TRUST FUNDS REPORT 92 EXCERPTS FROM THE 1999 TOWN MEETING MINUTES 99 VITAL STATISTICS 114 2000 TOWN MEETINGWARRANT 123 2000 BUDGET OF THE TOWN OF MILFORD 147 VOLUNTEER APPLICATION 14 6 Digitized by the Internet Archive 2012 with funding from in Member Boston Library Consortium Libraries http://archive.org/details/annualreportofto1999milf MILFORD, NH TOWN OFFICERS -BOARD OF SELECTMEN- Rosario Ricciardi, Chairman Term Expires 2000 Peter R. Leishman, Vice-Chairman Term Expires 2001 George D. Infanti Term Expires 2002 Richard D. D'Amato Term Expires 2000 Robert E. Courage Term Expires 2002 -TOWN ADMINISTRATOR- Lee F. Mayhew -DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/- -ADMINISTRATIVE HEAD OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT- Douglas H. Starr -ACTING CHIEF OF POLICE- Frederick G. Douglas, Jr. -FIRE CHIEF- Richard J. Pauley, Jr. -TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR- Margaret A. Langell -LIBRARY DIRECTOR- Arthur Bryan L. -ASSESSOR- David M. McMullen -DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT- William G. Parker -BUILDING INSPECTOR/CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER/HEALTH OFFICER Kevin A. Lynch -DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WELFARE- Home Patti Z. -AMBULANCE SERVICE DIRECTOR- Eric P. Schelberg -RECREATION DIRECTOR- Caroll J. Carbonneau NH TOWN OFFICERS— MILFORD, -SUPERINTENDENT OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY- Thomas Neforas -FINANCE DIRECTOR- Katherine E.L. Chambers -DEPUTY TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR- Barbara Pendleton J. -ASSISTANT BUILDING INSPECTOR- Alan Locicero -DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT- Mark E. Langis -MILFORD AREA MEDIATION COORDINATOR- Ellen Gardent -HOST HOMES PROGRAM COORDINATOR- Kathleen Fitzpatrick -MODERATOR- Ernest L. Barrett, Jr. -TOWN TREASURER- Allen G. White -DEPUTY TOWN TREASURER- Daniel Yohe -MILFORD AREA COMMUNICATION CENTER DIRECTOR- Joan K. Wetherall -CHECKLIST SUPERVISORS- Frances Rivard Term Expires 2000 Barbara Parry Term Expires 2002 Kevin Taylor Term Expires 2001 MILFORD, NH TOWN OFFICERS -BOARD OF FIRE WARDS- John Kelly, Jr. Term Expires 2001 Alan Locicero Term Expires 2002 John Raymond Term Expires 2000 -TRUSTEES OF THE TRUST FUNDS- Vivian Barry Term Expires 2001 Noreen O'Connell Term Expires 2002 Marty Wilde Term Expires 2000 -CEMETERY ADVISORY BOARD- Leonard Harten Term Expires 2002 Richard Medlyn Term Expires 2001 Rosario Ricciardi Term Expires 2000 -PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION- Reed MacNeilage, Chairman Term Expires 2000 Jim D'Amato, Vice-Chairman Term Expires 2002 Heather Ciardelli, Secretary Term Expires 2000 Vivian Barry Term Expires 2000 David Parker Term Expires 2001 Debra Tallarico Term Expires 2002 Bob Burke Term Expires 2001 Bill Parker, Alternate Term Expires 2001 Robert E. Courage, Selectmen's Representative -TRUSTEES OF THE WADLEIGH MEMORIAL LIBRARY- Cara Barlow, Chairman Term Expires 2000 Timothy Barr Term Expires 2000 Bert Becker Term Expires 2002 Mary Burdett Term Expires 2001 Denise Clark Term Expires 2002 Chris Costantino Term Expires 2001 Sandra Hardy Term Expires 2000 -NASHUA REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION- Vivian Barry Rosario Ricciardi Lee F. Mayhew -BUDGET COMMITTEE- Rodny Richey, Chairman Nancy Amato Chester A. Whitten, Jr. Donald Boggis Douglas Holt Rob Flynn Frank Farr -MILFORD, NH TOWN OFFICERS -CONSERVATION COMMISSION- Diane Fitzpatrick, Chairman Term Expires 2001 Hub Seward, Vice-Chairman Term Expires 2001 Rodney DellaFelice Term Expires 2002 Robert Walsh Term Expires 2000 Chris Guida Term Expires 2001 Richard Medlyn Term Expires 2002 Pierce Rigrod, Alternate Term Expires 2003 Chris Costantino, Alternate Term Expires 2000 John Bierschenk, Alternate Term Expires 2002 Judy Gross, Alternate Term Expires 2001 Kyle Flanery, Alternate Term Expires 2001 Rita Carroll, Conservation Coordinator Peter Leishman, Selectmen's Representative -PLANNING BOARD Walter Murray, Chairman Term Expires 2002 Steve Sareault, Vice-Chairman Term Expires 2000 Paul Amato Term Expires 2002 Vivian Barry Term Expires 2000 Laura Larue Term Expires 2000 Alan O'Neal Term Expires 2000 David Albert, Alternate Term Expires 2001 Mark Fougere, Alternate Term Expires 2001 Noreen O'Connell, Alternate Term Expires 2001 Chris Sturges, Alternate Term Expires 2001 George Infanti, Selectmen's Representative -ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT- Katherine Bauer, Chairman Term Expires 2000 Steve Bonczar, Vice-Chairman Term Expires 2002 Leonard Harten Term Expires 2000 Robert Levenson Term Expires 2001 Richard Westergren Term Expires 2002 Timothy Arel, Alternate Term Expires 2001 Kevin Taylor, Alternate Term Expires 2002 Peter R. Leishman, Selectmen's Representative -DOWNTOWN ONGOING IMPROVEMENT TEAM- ~(DO-IT)~ Chuck Worcester, President Robert Courage Jim D'Amato, Vice-President Jack Ruonala Kent Chappell, Treasurer Judy Gross Gemma Dreher, Secretary Doug Holt Bill Parker Allen White Lee Mayhew, Advisory Jon Frank Douglas Starr, Advisory Frank Manley Andrea Galligher, Downtown Coordinator 8