A long-simmering dispute over zoning enforcement and sales practices at Westward Shores has come to a head with a lawsuit filed in State Superior Court by more than 70 campers against the Town of Ossipee and the current and previous owners of the big lake business. The group has asked the court to ‘grandfather’ their camping units for zoning purposes, and is seeking monetary damages from current campground owner Northgate Ossipee, and two previous owners, Anthony Aversa and Joan Brassil.
Alliance Report
Work on Public Boat Ramp Set for Thursday
Paving and grading at the entrance to the state-managed site on Route 25 in Ossipee will prevent boaters from launching or removing watercraft on October 18. The site will reopen the next day.
The Smart Report: End of Summer 2018
October typically has good weather for boating, and the state has slightly delayed the start of the drawdown process for this year. But keep your eye on the water level. By the end of the month it may be difficult to remove boats and docks in some places.
State Supreme Court Restores Camp Marist Property Tax Exemption
The September 14 decision found that a Superior Court judge erred last year by ruling in favor of the Town of Effingham after the children’s camp sued it for denying its annual application to qualify for a charitable tax exemption. While the ruling focuses on a decision made by the town in 2015, the tax dispute between the camp and the town has deeper roots.
Country Ecology: The Northern Flicker
Flickers look different from most of the woodpeckers we commonly see in the New England wilds. It is more of an oddball in the woodpecker clan. It has a speckled, chestnut-brown body with a black crescent on its spotted breast, and a black mustache—when it is a male. We might see yellow under the surfaces of its wings and tail if it flies overhead. A new article by ecologist Dave Eastman.