Crosswalk passes, social districts fails in Henniker town meeting

Amy Guimond, who grew up in Henniker, moved back to town a few years ago to raise her four-year-old son. She said she enjoys watching kids eat ice cream from SuperScoops and playing around during the Henniker Concert Series.

Two years ago, her son was almost hit by a large 18-wheeler truck on Main Street. During Henniker’s town meeting on Saturday, she said she had been “begging” the planning board for years to implement a crosswalk on Main Street connecting to the community park.

“We watch [trucks] fly up Main Street with zero regard for our children, and our children are the future of this community,” she said. “They weren’t slowed down by crosswalks that should have been there.”

In August 2024, Central New Hampshire Regional Planning installed a temporary crosswalk in that area to ease traffic and assist pedestrian safety. Judy Heer said she was not happy when she saw the crosswalk disappear.

“I think it’s just a logical place to put the crosswalk,” she said.

Joshua Finet, owner of SuperScoops, said he wants to “foster a community feel in downtown Henniker” and believes adding this crosswalk will help with that.

“We want the intersections to be safe, and we want Henniker to invest in downtown,” he said.

In a ballot vote, the measure passed. Items dealing with highway equipment and storage; police special detail and expendable trust increases in police equipment, road maintenance and street lights were also passed. The operating budget passed with very little comment.

One of two articles that failed during the meeting dealt with outdoor social districts. These would allow alcohol from licensed businesses to be taken outside of the establishment and into designated areas.

It was the only article not recommended by the select board, and residents took issue with it, too. David Woolpert said the term “social” may not fully describe the activities within the area.

“Many of us enjoy life where we have a lot of social activities, where alcohol isn’t a part of it,” he said. “Many of us have been to these wonderful concerts on Tuesday nights in the summer, no alcohol out.”

Other points of discussion at the town meeting, held in the Henniker Community School, were three articles that would give the select board permission to spend money from the bridge, wastewater treatment and transfer station reserve funds.

Patrick Naber said he was against all three articles because he believes the residents should have a say whether or not to expend the accounts.

“These funds are set for a specific purpose,” he said. “I don’t want to lose that control over these funds.”

All three articles passed, meaning that the select board will need to have an agenda item on future board meetings before expending money, which would require public comment.

“I don’t think they’re going to make a bad decision,” said Keith Demoura. “I recommend that we vote yes, because we’re going to put our trust in folks that we vote in.”

Three citizen petitions were debated at the end of the meeting: calling for transparency requirements for Education Freedom Accounts, allowing fireworks to be set off during specific holidays — which failed — and banning specific rodenticides.

The poison is mainly used to kill mice and other rodents and causes slow internal hemorrhaging. Poisoning can be passed down to other animals that eat the affected rodents.

Maria Colby owns Wings of the Dawn, a wildlife rehabilitation center that focuses on birds. Over the last year, she said she took in 63 birds with signs of rodent poisoning. Only three of them survived.

She also pointed to cases where pets, fish and even children have had to be tested for the toxins.

“I’m hoping, because it is town property, and we are all owners of the town’s property, that the selectmen listen to the townspeople to say, ‘we want to know when there is going to be poisoning on our property,’” she said.

Her neighbors agreed. Cindy Martin said the mice can wander around for days while poisoned and can end up in fields or backyards, posing a risk for dogs and cats to get sick.

“Now, this warrant article does not ask the town to stop pest control,” she said. “It just asks the town to consider the bait that is being used, because, as Maria told you, there is a scaffolded scale of options to deal with pests.”

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