By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

January
• The Allenstown School Board sets a final estimate of $3,483,730 on the proposed 10-year bond for an addition to Allenstown Elementary School and renovations to the other two schools, including a $26,230 kitchen upgrade for the elementary school, a $29,755 kitchen upgrade for the Armand R. Dupont School, and $44,000 in security upgrades to both schools.

The previous estimate was prepared by Ross Currier of Conneston Construction, Inc. and Kurt Lauer of Lauer Architects, and amounted to $3,260,000.

A dispute over whether the the town could take the deed to property Jillerik Road passes over has yet to be settled. In July, the developer who owns the disputed property put the road up for sale. (File Photo)

• Sixth-, seventh-, and eighth- grade teachers begin preparing to meet new standards of the No Child Left Behind Act. At this point, two of the 13 teachers at the Armand R. Dupont School are considered highly qualified, and by the end of the 2005- 06 school year, the remainder must meet the necessary qualifications, said Principal Betsey Cox Stebbins.

• A warrant article to purchase and make renovations to the police station is put forward by the town government.

The facility on 40 Allenstown Road provides prisoners with easy access to the evidence room, guns and other supplies, and there is little storage.

February
. All-terrain vehicle trails in Bear Brook State Park become the center of a disagreement between residents as Senate Bill 349 is discussed at the State House. The bill stated that there would be a distance of 4,000 feet of space between wellwater heads and trails, but the Department of Resources and Economic Development said "4,000" was a typo for "400."

March
. A $3,483,730 bond for repairs to two schools in the district fails by seven votes. The voters approve $725,000 to buy the Allenstown Tractor building for use as a new police station, and keep the official ballot law, known as SB2, rather than go back to the Town Meeting form of government. There were 632 voters at the meeting.

. A fire at the Suncook Wastewater Treatment Plant on March 21 causes a two-hour evacuation of the surrounding area. One hundred homes upwind of the plant are evacuated. The fire started when sparks from a contractor's torch fell on 15 five-gallon buckets of potassium permanganate. Allenstown police and the central New Hampshire Hazardous Materials team arrive around 2:30 in the afternoon, and the last group of emergency workers leaves at 9:30 that night.

. Selectman Arthur Houle retires from town politics after 39 years. Houle first became involved in town politics in 1965, when his brother-in-law asked for help with the fire department. Houle served in the department for nine years before working for the police department and the zoning board. He ws also on the budget committee for more than nine years and was a selectman for eight more years.

April
. The state Senate passes a bill calling for the construction of all-terrain vehicle trails at state parks, but makes a last-minute amendment. The amendment allows local governing bodies in a town to review and approve ATV trails in towns with more than 45 percent of contiguous state park land. Bear Brook State Park makes up 50 percent of Allenstown's land. The bill has caused conflict between residents since 2002.

May
. Allenstown police arrest Pembroke resident Gary Brown, 34, after Brown allegedly tells a 14-year-old boy he would perform sexual acts for anyone wanting $50. Brown was arrested one day after reaching his $25,000 bail. He had previously been arrested for stabbing a female acquaintance at UNH Durham nine times. His arrest leads to legislation for a new peddler's license in town with more aggressive background checks.

June
. Allenstown purchases a used ladder truck for $39,000. A new model of the truck costs nearly $480,000. The ladder truck was purchased to replace the current emergency vehicle, an aging 1986 Ford F-350 diesel one-ton truck.

. Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown once again becomes the center of a debate between all-terrain vehicle riders and residents. ATV riders say they are respectful of others, clean the trails, and that the area is ideal for ATV use. Residents are opposed to ATVs and say they are noisy, pollute water supplies, and degrade trails.

. Jillerik Road in Allenstown becomes a source of controversy between residents, town officials, and developers Dan Lapointe and Richard Paris when it is discovered one of three buildable lots the developers own sits squarely in the middle of the road. The road was constructed and approved in 1990, but there was no deed documenting the existence of one section of it.

. A bill to allow ATV trails in state parks fails in the state Senate 192-145. The 4,000-foot distance between wellheads and trails is maintained. The bill was first submitted to the Senate as House Bill 1273 in 2002. ATV riders and residents alike pledge to continue to battle over the future possibility of ATV trails.

July
. Jillerik Road is offered for sale by Richard Paris, owner of PAL Custom Home Builders. Paris chains off one end of the road and erects a homemade "for sale" sign on it after Allenstown selectmen fail to approve his request to change the lot lines to two buildable lots and keep the road open. There are no takers.

One week after setting up the "for sale" sign, Paris removes it, after a debate with residents. The discussion takes place on the evening of July 15 on the road itself. Among other things, the residents discuss a letter asking them to help pay $25,000 in legal fees that Paris has incurred.

. The new Allenstown Police Station opens on July 23. The 6,700-square-foot station on 40 Allenstown Road will replace the cramped 800-square-foot station in the basement of the Allenstown Town Hall on 16 School St. The old station had one entrance and exit, inadequate separation of town employees from suspects, and a single toilet for prisoners and officers.

. Allenstown, Pembroke and Bow police officers step up certifications for all-terrain vehicle patrols. Each department has two ATVs, and each has a goal of training all of their officers for ATV patrol. Pembroke's ATVs cost $6,000 apiece, and the officers riding them average two summons per patrol. The patrols started in March and typically cover 40 miles of trails.

September
. Allenstown selectmen unanimously vote against constructing a canoe and kayak launching area near Albin Avenue, citing an overwhelming lack of support for the proposal from residents of Albin Avenue as the primary reason for their decision.

The ramp, if built according to the town's Master Plan, would have consisted of railroad ties and crushed stone, and would have been built on a 400-foot, one-acre piece of land along the Suncook River.

. A sewer moratorium is imposed in Allenstown and Pembroke after the Suncook Wastewater Treatment plant reaches capacity. The plant was erected in 1975, and has a design capacity of 1.052 million gallons. Until the moratorium is lifted, and new development in either town, business or residential, must use a septic system.

October
. The ongoing sewer moratorium continues to be a cause for concern to residents in Allenstown and Pembroke. Because of the moratorium, new connections to the sewer system are virtually impossible. A Manchester-based septic company estimates the cost of a private septic system to be be nearly $11,500. Allenstown conservation commission member Laura Bonk says the moratorium won't stop development; it will instead encourage sprawl.

. Jillerik Road negotiations slow as the developers request an additional 120 days to transfer the deed to the town. Paris previously said he wanted to change the size of two building lots and give the third lot, which contains the road, to the town. Since the town does not have the deed, the lot line adjustments cannot be granted.

. Brookside Terrace, Riverside Park and Albin Avenue are voluntarily evacuated after floodwaters threaten homes there. While there was no damage to roads or homes, Allenstown Police Chief James McGonigle said the potential for danger was very real.

. The Suncook double-decker bridge is offered for sale to the highest bidder. The catch? The purchaser must remove the bridge in sections and reinstall it in a different location in a manner that will reflect its historical value. The bridge, which was constructed in 1931 to provide a path for Routes 3 and 28, is to be replaced by a $13.6 million span that will take two years to complete.

November
. After 74 years of service to Pembroke and Allenstown, the Suncook bridge is to be sold for scrap. Because there were no offers to buy the bridge from the public by the Oct. 20 deadline, the metal-truss, two-level bridge is to be torn down. Anyone purchasing the bridge would have to pay $330,000 for removal, and an additional $147,000 to remove the smaller connecting supports.

. Allenstown police and town officials develop and pass legislation proposing a new license for vendors. The new license is brought about following an incident involving Gary Brown, an ice cream vendor arrested by Allenstown police in May on a charge of felonious prostitution.

December
. PAL Custom Home Builders have yet to turn over the deed to Jillerik Road. Residents fear the developers will build homes and use the road as a private driveway. If the developers do so, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has the right to close one end of the road off. Closing the road could close off a valuable escape route should homes be threatened by floodwaters. Paris declines comment.

. Two apparent instances of child stalking in six days trigger a joint investigation between the Allenstown and Pembroke police departments and other law enforcement agencies. An 11-year-old boy is approached by a man in a dark-colored sedan while waiting for a school bus on the morning of Dec. 7. The boy refuses to get in the car, and notifies authorities.

. Neither Pembroke nor Allenstown town officials have prepared a warrant article calling for a new wastewater treatment facility. The cost of the new facility is estimated at $7,760,000, but a construction timeline has yet to be determined. The engineering stage may be complete by 2006.