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Welcome to the NEW Atkinson Reporter! Under new management, with new resolve.

The purpose of this Blog is to pick up where the Atkinson Reporter has left off. "The King is dead, Long live the King!" This Blog is a forum for the discussion of predominantly Atkinson; Officials, People, Ideas, and Events. You may give opinion, fact, or evaluation, but ad hominem personal attacks will not be tolerated, or published. The conversation begun on the Atkinson Reporter MUST be continued!

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Thursday, June 23, 2011

Atkinson wants out of regional hazmat group

From the Eagle Tribune;

June 23, 2011
Atkinson wants out of regional hazmat group
By Cara Hogan
chogan@eagletribune.com

ATKINSON — If there's a hazardous waste incident in Atkinson, town officials would like to handle it themselves.

The town is one of 15 in a nearly 20-year-old municipal group that formed to respond regionally to hazmat situations. Two years ago, Atkinson stopped paying its $6,000 annual membership dues.

That brought Hampstead Selectman Richard Hartung, who's also chairman of the Southeastern New Hampshire Hazardous Material Mutual Aid District, to the Atkinson selectmen's meeting Monday night.

Hartung asked selectmen to reconsider their decision to leave the group. But if they wouldn't, Hartung said, they should give official notice of their withdrawal.

"There is an allotment of dues for each town for the year and Atkinson chose not to pay theirs," he said. "We haven't had anything official from the town or board. The simple fact of not paying does not exclude you."

The town opted out when fire Chief Michael Murphy recommended the payments be cut to save the town some money.

"They offer a valuable resource, it's just their resources go way beyond what Atkinson needs," he said. "Our exposure is minimal. There's very little risk in town compared to Salem or Derry, where they have major highways going through their communities and a lot of industry and commercial manufacturing. It's good insurance, but I think I provide a level of protection."

Murphy said the town spent $4,500 for its own equipment.

"Last year, we put in a special hazardous vehicle, equipped with spill containment equipment," he said. "We have the capability of getting out there and handling a first response spill until we call in additional resources, whether private or the state. We didn't leave the town without anything."

But Hartung said it's not possible for Atkinson to have the same kind of coverage the Mutual Aid District offers.

"I don't think it's a thing the town can really do on their own," he said. "I took some umbrage with what was said they have their own capacity, I think it's very limited whatever they have."

Hartung said the Emergency Response Team includes 50 members, drawn from fire departments within the district. Those people are trained to deal with chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents. And, he said, those types of spills do happen in member towns.

"The teams are activated numerous times during the year across the district," he said. "Atkinson has been involved for 20 years, but I'm not sure how many times they've needed our services."

Atkinson Selectmen's Chairman William Bennett said the town may still reconsider its decision, but he needs more information first.

"If the bylaws say because we're members and we owe the past dues, we might just pay," he said. "If it requires a formal vote from the board to end our association, we may do that. It depends on what the bylaws say."

Selectman William Friel said the town just doesn't have the money to pay membership dues.

"We can't pay it," he said. "The line item for this was eliminated by the Budget Committee."

Murphy said he stands behind his decision to leave the organization unless more information comes out. Bennett agreed.

"Chief Murphy feels he's adequately equipped to respond to a hazmat spill and he knows a whole lot more about responding to hazmat threats than I do," he said. "If he tells me he's all set, I'm not going to second guess that decision."

Hartung said he still hopes the town will reconsider.

"I believe it's within their capability to pay this, if they choose to," he said. "It is an issue of public safety and this organization brings an outstanding value."

The other member towns include Windham, Hampstead, Hooksett, Auburn, Candia, Chester, Danville, Derry, Litchfield, Londonderry, Pelham, Plaistow, Salem and Sandown.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is great for our ever dwindling reputation, we owe for something we joined and now we refuse to pay???

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness, to the APD for improving it.

Anonymous said...

Ya, right. They are the ones who are destroying it. Not to mention that fact that if we didn't have to pay all the legal bills to defend them, we could pay for what we really need, this coverage.

I do not believe that we can deal with hazardous waste incidents by ourselves.

Anonymous said...

You complain about lawsuits...the people on this blog filed them. You're nothing but a cancer cell for the town of Atkinson.

Anonymous said...

Lawsuit against the Chief

1. Mark Acciard
2. Leon Artus
3. Gary Brownfield

All personal vendettas, nothing today with police business, corruption. All bogus. What other lawsuits have been brought against our police department? Check the lawsuit record against Salem???

Anonymous said...

More Lawsuits against Chief

4 Grant
5 Peak
6 Polito vs Consentino
7 Policeman's Union
8 Lewis
9 FBI

10
11
12
25
50

MAcciard said...

To 4:22pm;

You could not be more wrong.For my suit it only came after 3 years of the chief villifying me weekly on camera, lying about me, calling my customers and suppliers telling them I was under investigation by the Atkinson PD(I was not, Det. Farrar had no idea, using the PD to investigate my company, sue me for "slander" for stating that he lied(he withdrew the suit two weeks before trial), being followed through town, having my wife and son followed through town, being threatened by the chief, and having MY HOUSE AND MY CAR VANDALIZED with his name being carved into them.

I Don't think this was a vendetta on my part, all I did prior to this was to bring him up on ethics charges, which I won! 4 times in Court.

The Grant case came only after, while violating my Court Order, he used the police to EVICT Carol, her husband AND HER WHEELCHAIR BOUND SON from the town hall Dec.27, 2007! And why? because she was complaining about his harrassment of her.

The Peak case; Peak discovered Chief was misappropriating funds. That case spawned three other competing cases costing the town hundreds of thousands in legal fees, while they lasted 6 years.

In 2000, Chief parked his cruiser, lights flashing outside Steve Lewis' office on Main st. while he spent over an hour inside screaming at Lewis in his own office, for putting forth a petition warrant article for a full time chief.

In 2005, He illegally bought an SUV for the PD, without authorization.

In 2002, The NHPELRB ordered Chief to quit "bullying, harrassing, and intimidating" his officers.

You can read the actual lawsuits on atkinsontaxpayers.org Read them first, see the same allegation over a 30 year period, then read the news articles over the same period, then tell me if is all personal vendettas, Phil.

Anonymous said...

Amen!

Anonymous said...

BOS gets MRI to fix APD ASAP or S.H.I.T. hits fan ASAP.

Anonymous said...

MAcciard said...
I see the moderators of this blog bash(by this I mean discuss) Town officials not non town official residents.

Maybe you can give an example

June 23, 2011 8:34 PM

Anonymous said...
Farrar, dont listen to the whackjob critic. Your bangs are so cute. I love them. They make you soooo handsome, please keep them hanging out. When I see your dashing bangs I swoon, oooh and aaah. If you grow a pony tail to match, I will pee in my pants.

June 24, 2011 7:54 AM

Anonymous said...
Town officials are residents. You are attacking them personally. You attack anything for your cause. You are a bottom feeder who uses a blog to feel bigger.

Sadly our BOS not only let you attack residents but help you, so you don't attack them. They are cowards.

You are nothing but a bully and you make money at it.
Nothing you have done has improved this town.

June 24, 2011 7:55 AM

Anonymous said...
Amen

June 24, 2011 7:58 AM

Anonymous said...

Farrar is not a Town Official, he is an employee.

Anonymous said...

Attack, Attack. I'm so glad Farrar is staying.

Anonymous said...

Didn't say he was a town official.

Anonymous said...

Keep Farrar, good idea...more bang(s) for the buck.

MAcciard said...

To Anon @ 7:58; thank you for making my point. You SAID The Moderators of this blog, make those statements, and as evidence you introduce public comments. Perhaps you could focus on comments made BY THE MODERATORS.

MAcciard said...

To June 23@ 2:39pm;

So is it your position that it is perfectly ok, for the chief of police to use his office to investigated, threaten, harrass, and sue resident, but when they get sick of it, the BOS refuses to enforce the town's employee discipline policy, and they are left no recourse but the Courts, it is THEIR fault?

Anonymous said...

Town officials like lawsuits. What do you mean? They can pass all the costs to the taxpayers of the town. No problem. And they have mucho respect for asleep overworked taxpayers.

Anyway, quick opens up this big bottomless taxpayer checkbook for any and all attorneys who promise them a ride away from their avoidable mistakes and negligence of the laws..

HELLO? Anyone awake out there??

Anonymous said...

LGC town insurance has a big bertha premium raise in the rocket launcher. Keep your heads down. This is going to be a big one.

Anonymous said...

Listen buster. Our town can afford anything. 3 more cruisers coming, 4 officers, town hall doubled in size, new wells and sprinkler systems for all ball fields, expansion of the library for more private meeting rooms.

Who cares how high LGC insurance goes. Even if it hits 1,000,000 we tell the tax collector just press buttons on the keyboard and more money rolls in.

Anonymous said...

I have a harpoon that my husband gave me. Dick is afraid of guns because of Sarah & Jim. My husband says just aim at the weeenie and push. But i dont know it will work i i tell him aim for the eyes but he says they can duck i say what if there are two of them. He says call the cops But the cops will never get here in time because i read here they close up Sunoco and DD every night and we live way South. What do we do to protect our family here??

Anonymous said...

You would have to move elsewhere. No one is safe here, no one knows what is actually going on, they hide the facts, they refuse to provide explanation for resonable questions, they are not doing their jobs.

Anonymous said...

Atkinson is a funny story. State reps talk and laugh about Atkinson and our weird police/ elderly mess and selectmen wringing their hands. Also the bizzare town meeting where town officials, employees, and police officers dominate, scare away votes, corrupt citizen warrant articles and make democracy into mob rule. And directed by our king of the dark..."Gee, no one ever told me RSA laws apply to ME."

But the worst thing that can happen is Atkinson turns over a new chapter in town history and cleans up the mess! It will mo longer be fun.. The state will stop talking and laughing about us, we will have professional law abiding leaders. God forbid!!

Please, please, we beg you. Don't change anything you are doing. Please don't take away our funin. We wiill become sleepy and down right boring. And keep up the trouble and incompetance so the attorneys can get their piles of cash. They LOVE Atkinson.

Anonymous said...

Up North!! I see a cruiser once in a blue moon! Hard to see them in the dd parking lot from 111.

Anonymous said...

I heard plans were being made for Phil's retirement. And he won't be running Elderly Affairs either. He'll be banned from doing anything in town (gee I wonder why?). No committees, nuthin. Anyone else hear it or am I getting bad info? Some bloggers out there must know. Can anyone confirm it?

Once you see the news he's gone from PD and EA, then you heard it first here on THAT BLOG!!

Anonymous said...

Yes all Atkinson needs is hope and change. Look how well it worked for Washington DC????

Anonymous said...

I'll believe it when I see it.

Anonymous said...

BOS gets MRI to fix APD ASAP or S.H.I.T. hits fan ASAP.

Anonymous said...

I figured something out. Why so much push, push, push for this train layover? Hmmmm

Who owns the land that will be needed to park dozens of trains? How much mulah are we talking here?

How much revenue does the town get?

Who gets paid off to speak up for it?

Who gets paid off to shut up about it?

What is the pay off for screwing the real estate values in south Atkinson?

What is the COST to the quality of life to ALL home owners.

How do we sell and get out of this money grubbing town. Real estate market is crashed. I lose $56,900 if I sell and dump.

My opinion. Get me answers somebody.

Anonymous said...

Joyce, there is a big party on your street July 4, there will be 50+ cars parked, music, the smell of a cook out, drinking, fireworks. Make sure you take your valium, wear, your earplugs, and have smith and bennet on speed dial.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget to get your firework permit and pay off the locals with some weed and a bit of Prozac for Farrah. He's in charge and is afraid of the snakes in the woods so don't you be be hiding out there from him.

Anonymous said...

There once was a pill named Phil.
He couldn't land a date for a bill.
He stalked the fine gals,
and squawked to his pals,
Poor me, don't wanna work, I'm ill.

Anonymous said...

I hope there's another HUGE obnoxious party and further demonstration of the INCOMPETENT police department pretending not to notice what everyone else can see and hear. GO FOR IT.

Anonymous said...

A recent neighborhood poll indicated that 100% of residents exposed to the noise and fireworks on Meditation thought it was out of control. Many people complained to the police and to the town and were promised that the situation would not happen again. We shall see if they keep their word.

Anonymous said...

If you get fired before you retire, you don't get to collect your benefits.

Anonymous said...

If someone gets hurt by fireworks or another reason, the town and the house owner will be liable. Keep those cameras roll'n, baby!

Anonymous said...

Please post the last article in the tribune. Nice write up on the APD Chief. Don't be bias Joyce.

Anonymous said...

Nice write up yes, true no. No major problems here, move along folks, no crime here, cause we say so. Get rid of him and Farrah!

Anonymous said...

To July 5, 2011 9:01 AM

I guess you feel good about yourself attacking people without putting your name in your post. It's wrong for you to be calling anyone names while you are showing your bias. Hypocrit.

Anonymous said...

Do you mean biased?

Anonymous said...

July 12, 2011

Man shoots self in Atkinson
The Eagle Tribune Wed Jul 13, 2011, 12:12 AM EDT


ATKINSON — A man was hospitalized after shooting himself Sunday night, police said.

The shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m. at a home in the Rock Ridge Road area. The unidentified man was taken by ambulance to Lawrence General Hospital for treatment of the self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He was then transferred to a Boston hospital, according to the fire department. No further details were available.

• • •
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Anonymous said...

I don't think we should discuss this. It may have been intentional given that other details were not provided.

I hope the administrator removes this posting.