By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

As a decision on the future use of the Hooksett Village School draws near, tensions between supporters and critics of Article 4 are on the rise.

On Wednesday, April 20, at the Hooksett Public Library, members of the Community Economic Development Corporation of Hooksett (CEDCOH) presented information to the public regarding the warrant article that would provide $1.5 million to turn the vacant building into new town offices and a community center.

They also presented color prints of how the new building would look from the outside, along with design plans for the building's inside.

Immediately following the presentation, several of the 28 people in attendance questioned CEDCOH's credibility in spearheading the renovation, and expressed skepticism about the project's long-term success.

CEDCOH chairman and cofounder Dawn Stanhope adamantly reiterated that the group's intended role in the project has been strictly to work with the town to design a "conceptual layout."

"The town is ultimately responsible for the building regardless of who they're working with," Stanhope said.

Frank Gray, Hooksett resident and former Hooksett town selectman, was one of several attendees who related CEDCOH's efforts to those of the Hooksett Industrial Development Corporation (HIDC), a town committee approved by voters in 1983 to bring new business to Hooksett.

"We've still got a bad taste in our mouth," Gray said. "I know a lot of people want to see this get done, but we want it to get done in an orderly fashion."

Dick Marshall, planning board chairman, said many voters remember the ineffectiveness of HIDC when it comes to trusting CEDCOH, as HIDC brought in only one business nearly 10 years.

Marshall said the comparison between the two groups is somewhat misguided since taxpayers lost only potential revenue, or money "on paper" with the HIDC project, but he said the lack of results remains embedded in many citizens. minds.

"People here are gun shy," Marshall said. "CEDCOH has got a long way to go to get trusted in this town."

Criticism of CEDCOH was sparked recently when Town Councilor Philip Fitanides sent a group e-mail to fellow councilors and members of the press. The e-mail questioned the authority of some town officials to negotiate with CEDCOH.

The e-mail was publicly replied to by Steve Korzyniowski, co-founder of CEDCOH, at the April 13 Hooksett Town Council meeting. Town Councilor Douglas St. Pierre also replied to Fitanides. e-mail, saying that approach was offensive and needed to be addressed by the Town Council.

Fitanides repeated many of the complaints he originally laid out in his e-mail at the CEDCOH presentation despite pleas from Stanhope to keep the conversation focused on Article 4. Stanhope said, however, that she would be happy to talk privately to Fitanides.

As the debate heated up, conversation became increasingly more on CEDCOH's credentials and less so on the specifics of the warrant article.

Fitanides, Gray and others suggested that CEDCOH lacks the experience necessary to make such a large-scale project work.

Hooksett resident Bill Sirak, a CEDCOH member who is also the acting chairman of the Manchester Development Corporation, said complaints against the group are unjustified.

"What I'm totally surprised at is the animosity and mistrust directed at this group of volunteers," Sirak said. "CEDCOH is a community resource."

Sirak then thanked Stanhope and the other members of CEDCOH and was met by mixed applause and groans.

Voting on Article 4 will take place May 10 at Cawley Middle School.