Lake Auld Lang Syne 2012

Freedom—December 26, 2012—2012 was the year of the tax appeal, as a group of lake residents went after Ossipee officials with two legal actions—including a class action lawsuit—alleging the town’s assessments of lakefront properties are inflated. The lawsuits were cheered around the lake, with many homeowners echoing the complaint that their assessments and taxes have continued to rise even as sales prices continue to decline.

It was a bad year for local fire departments. In January, 21-year old former Madison firefighter John Robert Colcord was indicted on five felony-level arson charges stemming from a series of fires in four towns, including Freedom. The arson fires, as close to the lake as the Ossipee Pine Barrens, had kept the area on edge throughout the previous summer.

Then in March, former West Ossipee Fire Chief Bradley Eldridge, 51, was arrested and charged with setting fire to a barn on Christmas Eve. March also brought word that Freedom’s Select Board had put long-time fire official Gene Dow on administrative leave while declining to say why. He was later replaced as chief, also without explanation.

On a positive note, Freedom’s fire department opened an eagerly-awaited new facility that also houses the town’s police department. The building was delivered on time and on budget, and was celebrated at a February open house.

The mild winter weather meant thin ice, and in March two dogs went into the lake at Berry Bay. By the time a town rescue team arrived, the dogs’ owner was also in the water. Everyone was pulled to safety.

It’s well known that our area is seismically active, but it’s always a surprise when the earth starts to shake. A 4.0-magnitude trembler in October shook things up enough to have residents peering into the fog the next morning to make sure the dam hadn’t given way and drained the lake. No damage was reported, and the lake remained where it was the previous day.

Milfoil is one of New Hampshire’s most serious environmental issues, but you would never know it from state funding. An Ossipee Lake Alliance survey released in June showed the state’s share of milfoil control costs is down to just 12 percent of the total, leaving the rest of the funding up to towns like Freedom and Ossipee. The survey also showed half of the state’s infested waters continue to have no milfoil control plan at all.

As if to underscore the milfoil threat, a new batch was found in early autumn near the mouth of the Pine River. It was the big lake’s first confirmed infestation. New milfoil was also found in Pickerel Cove in Broad Bay, and there was major new growth of the weed in Huckins Pond. All of the lake’s infested areas were treated this year according to management plans developed by the Freedom and Ossipee conservation commissions in cooperation with DES.

It was marina versus marina when Kevin Price of Ossipee Lake Marina leveled a long list of charges against Wayne Killam, owner of Lakefront Landing Marina and Campground. Chief among Price’s complaints was that Killam’s sale of boat slips, while authorized by the state, was illegal because the docks lacked permits. Killam countered with an affidavit from the marina’s previous owner stating the docks were grandfathered because they were in place prior to 1979. DES agreed with Killam. It dismissed all of the complaints, but ordered him to move eight of his 44 slips closer to shore to comply with state rules.

We said goodbye this year to Thomas “Papa” Carney. Known as the Ice Cream Man, Carney was a familiar sight as he roamed the lake selling tasty treats from his boat, the “Aqua Delight.” A retired school bus driver, Carney was 67. The lake community also noted the passing of Charlie Smith, long-time owner of Westward Shores Campground and Marina.

What will individuals on the lake remember about the year? Some of our 3,691 Facebook fans weighed in with responses, including Marc Laliberte. He said his son was born on the 4th of July and just nine days later made his first trip to the family’s lake camp. Robert Smallwood wrote to say something unpleasant will stick in his mind—getting pinched by the Marine Patrol for being in the wrong part of the Natural Area. For Jenifer Murray Badershall, each time she saw the lake’s bald eagles was a memorable event.

And that’s the year, folks. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Alliance, whether you made a financial contribution or pitched-in to help with the work. Thanks also to Bob Smart, Dave Eastman, and Larissa Mulkern for their special reports for our newsletters and email news.

We’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2013 with new programs and other changes designed to ensure another decade of progress working for you to preserve and protect Ossipee Lake. On to the New Year!

David Smith
Executive Director

5 Comments

  1. Jean Marshall 11 years ago December 27, 2012

    David, thank you. Very nicely said and humerously so!

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  2. atony 11 years ago December 28, 2012

    Actually this was the year many of us have opened our eyes and have begun to see how foul our government really is… as a class action was attempted and denied by the state superior court and then appealed to the state supreme court only to have the supreme court, without reason or explanation, even hear the case. “Power to the People”…I don’t think so !
    I’ll tell you what is humorous…a state with the motto “Don’t tread on me” and a state government that not only treads on, but steam rolls and abuses with complete and utter disregard for its citizens.

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  3. Thomas Thorpe 11 years ago December 28, 2012

    Seriously atony? You think the State’s motto is “don’t tread on me”? Maybe it’s time for us natives to require you transplants to take and pass a residency test before we allow you to move up here and spoil our landscape!

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  4. Steve Foley 11 years ago December 29, 2012

    Well done, David. Its a shame the Ossipee Bluffs Association has nothing good to report, still embroiled with resolving the actions on Lake Ossipee of Donald Lee after the courts found him responsible for the most catastrophic, environmental mess the lake has experienced. Bradford Cove continues to fill with debris due to the breakwater created by Lee and errosion of proximity lands continues at an alarming rate because the river cannot flow freely into the lake. Unfortunately the OBA board has sat on the supposed plans for remediation, contributing to the mistrust and anxiety of the membership. I suppose it could be that the figures [out-of-pocket] to resolve this matter will have a relative effect on property values.
    Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to All, and may the truth always filter to the top.

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  5. atony 11 years ago January 7, 2013

    Well when you’re right you’re right. I stand corrected……….I’ve seen so many of those Gadsden flags in NH that I just assumed that you guys adopted that motto. That aside though I agree give us “transplants” a residency test before we are allowed to move to your state. But, I caution you, make it an easy test because those of us who end up buying property also end up providing the state with a significant revenue stream. Ultimately that revenue provides the locals with a much better set of government services than they would otherwise have. And as far as “spoiling your landscape, well, .I’ve seen firsthand the shanties, shacks and garbage filled yards adopted by many of the locals…you folks are doing a fine job spoiling the landscape all on your own.

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