A look back: 2022

Dec. 29—It was a year of loss, new beginnings, goodbyes to longtime community supporters and big welcomes to those taking on new roles.

The year began with lingering concerns over the pandemic, but many people worked hard to return to a sense of normal life while also making sure families remained safe.

School districts worked on facility studies to navigate the best way to move ahead with educating students in the best way possible.

Organizations continued to support those in need throughout the year, collecting food, donations, clothing, coats and mittens, building beds and putting efforts in place to make sure those needing support got what they needed. Local police collected bullet proof vests to support a far-off and war-torn country.

The year 2022 had something for everyone, and amid tragedy, loss and sadness, much community spirit and support emerged, bringing a community together to mourn a longtime police leader and then welcoming and supporting a new leader to continue on.

There were also new beginnings with a new skatepark that now draws big crowds in Derry.

Midterm elections drew big crowds of voters and residents in area communities came out in force to choose their favorite candidates for state and federal office.

Here's a look back at some highlighted stories in our towns and how the year 2022 played out.

DERRYState rep. sued by 'drag queens'

A Derry state representative faced a defamation lawsuit this year over comments he made about two men who perform as drag queens, allegedly calling one a "convicted sex offender" and saying the other performed inappropriately with children during a local story time event.

Michael McMahon of Danville and Robert Champion of Bow filed suit against Rep. David Love for the statements made earlier this year, saying Love "wantonly, maliciously and oppressively" defamed them.

The commentary in question was made to Derry town councilors and in State House testimony in Concord before the House, Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee.

Champion and McMahon have performed as Monique Toosoon and Clara Divine, respectively, and have led drag queen story times in both Nashua and Derry.

Love went on to win another two-year term as a Derry state representative in November.

Police collect vests for Ukraine

Derry Police supported the Ukrainian people during wartime with a donation of 60 bulletproof vests.

Derry Officer Nikita Tomnyuk led the effort to collect the vests to send back to his native country of Ukraine to aid their underfunded military and militias.

"They don't have the resources," explained Tomnyuk earlier this year.

Tomnyuk came to the United States with his mother and sister 17 years ago.

Medical building burns

Officials said smoking materials tossed in a mulch bed caused July's four-alarm fire at the Overlook Medical Park.

Fire broke out at the three-story, 85,000-square-foot multi-office medical building at 6 Tsienneto Road, drawing support from many area fire departments helping to battle the blaze.

In a press release the following day, the Fire Prevention Bureau reported the completion of its preliminary origin and cause investigation and based on those early incident observations, officials identified the cause of the fire to be smoking materials tossed in combustible mulch landscaping area at the front of the building.

The fire caused extensive damage to the building, where many medical practices and services are housed.

The medical building is slated for a reopening in the spring of 2023.

Death of longtime police chief came soon after official retirement

It was a final farewell in 2022 to a long-serving police chief, friend, community supporter and leader.

Retired Derry Police Chief Edward B. Garone was laid to rest in October after a brief service held at the New Hampshire Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen.

Garone died Oct. 11, not even two weeks after he was honored on Sept. 30 for his official day of service prior to retirement.

The chief had been honored in June for his 50 years of service, then announcing his formal retirement.

The Derry Police Department building was officially named after Garone in a ceremony this year.

New skatepark unveiled

The community unveiled its new skatepark in October at Alexander-Carr Park.

Bringing a new skatepark to town to replace an aging park got a lot of momentum in its early stages from many supporters and a Friends of the Derry Skatepark social media group that drew attention to the fact that the old park was aging, unsafe and a better option for the community was needed.

That led to meetings, and a lot of public input about what a new park could look like and cost.

Council meetings drew big crowds with many speaking out about the importance of bringing the local park back to life, both as a way to give Derry a destination location for people to enjoy, but to also give youth a safe location to skate and meet with friends.

Feole named new police chief

The Derry Police Department had a new chief in 2022.

Police Chief George Feole took the oath of office and was sworn into the job at a recognition ceremony in December.

A 42-year veteran of the department, he previously served as deputy chief under retired Chief Edward Garone.

Feole's career in Derry started in June 1980, first as a patrol officer and becoming the agency's first PR 24 baton instructor and also its first pepper spray instructor.

In the years ahead, Feole would be promoted through the ranks to become a lieutenant then a captain, serving as the Support Services Commander for the next 22 years.

James Richardson takes over as new fire chief

Assistant Fire Chief James Richardson was confirmed by Town Council earlier this year to be the department's next leader.

He had been serving in an acting chief role following the retirement last year of former Chief Michael Gagnon.

Town Administrator David Caron said Richardson emerged as the best candidate for the top job from a field of more than two dozen.

Deadly force justified in Derry shooting

Three Derry police officers along with a private Derry citizen were justified in their use of deadly force during a shooting on Driftwood Road in Derry on April 9 of this year.

That conclusion comes from the Attorney General's office, and was reported during a news conference in November.

Derry police Lt. Michael Muncey and officers Victoria Kidd and Timothy Underhill were identified as the three who fired their weapons during a confrontation with Christopher Coppola, 43, who was shot and killed.

Of these three, Muncey has been a police officer the longest, for 23 years, followed by Kidd with 11 years of experience and Underhill with four.

The private citizen was identified as Thomas Watson, a resident of Driftwood Road.

According to the final report released by Attorney General John M. Formella, Derry police had responded on April 9 after a call came in reporting someone with a shotgun was in the Driftwood Road neighborhood and had fired at a resident.

LONDONDERRY

Smith gives up town manager job to run for U.S. Senate

A local leader had his eye on winning a New Hampshire Senate seat in Washington, D.C. in 2022, but fell short of the win in the September primary election.

Kevin Smith announced his formal plans to run on the Republican ticket for the seat held by Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan and stepped down from his role as Londonderry town manager to campaign for the job.

But in September, Smith fell short of winning enough votes to move on to challenge Hassan in the general election in November.

Town names new manager

Michael Malaguti became Londonderry's new town manager in 2022.

The former acting manager was officially given the job and approved by Town Council at a meeting April 11.

Malaguti had been serving in the acting town manager role following the exit of former manager Kevin Smith, who left the position in early 2022 to run for U.S. Senate.

Malaguti had served several roles within the town of Londonderry including Londonderry Police Department prosecutor, assistant town solicitor, and the most recent acting town manager position.

Old Home Day honors 300 years

Every year Londonderry throws a big party. and for 2022, that celebration included community spirit and a lot of history.

The annual Old Home Day festivities took place in August with several days full of music, a parade, food, booths on the Town Common while also showcasing rich traditions and history dating back three centuries.

Londonderry's incorporation as a town was officially in 1722 — 300 years ago — and this year's Old Home Day paid special tribute to that distinct milestone.

Community bids Reed Clark farewell

It was a final and fond farewell in 2022 to one of the community's most honored and beloved citizens.

Town officials, police and fire officials, and many residents lined Mammoth Road in front of the Central Fire Station in September to bid one final farewell to Reed Clark and his wife Phyllis.

The couple embarked on a new adventure and moved to the Washington, D.C. area to be closer to family.

The Londonderry Rotary Club and others gave the couple a big surprise party at the Coach Stop Restaurant prior to their departure.

Police Chief William Hart retires, Kim Bernard named new chief

Police Chief William Hart retired in 2022, after serving Londonderry as its chief since for many years and giving three decades of service to the town in many capacities.

Hart had been a captain with the department since 2001 and served as Rockingham County attorney from 1995 to 1998. He was Londonderry's prosecutor from 1992 to 1994.

He served as interim chief following the retirement of longstanding chief Joseph Ryan and then was chosen to take the top job.

Hart also served the town as its acting town manager prior to the hiring of former manager Kevin Smith.

Hart's deputy Chief Kim Bernard was sworn in to be the new chief in a ceremony in December.

WINDHAMLongtime town administrator retires

The town's first town administer retired in 2022 after serving the community since 1988.

David Sullivan stepped down in 2022 and was honored by the community, its leaders and residents for his longevity and service to Windham.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Ross McLeod read a tribute at a town meeting that was printed in the town report, saying the young Sullivan arrived in Windham ready to take on his job and learn all he could.

"He was on a mission, a mission to learn to grow, to become part of our community to unify the workforce and bridge the inevitable gap between not only them and the board but the residents as well," McLeod said. "To that end, his door was always open to volunteers, employees, and residents who needed to vent, or rant, or question or just chat."

During his time in Windham, Sullivan helped develop the town's very first mission statement.

Town names new leader

The community named a new leader in 2022.

After former Windham Town Administrator David Sullivan retired after 34 years on the job, a new administrator took the helm and it's someone very familiar with the town already.

Brian McCarthy was introduced to the community during a Board of Selectmen meeting back in March.

McCarthy is Windham's second town administrator, with Sullivan serving as the community's very first leader.

McCarthy, a Windham resident, took over the job after serving as Pelham's town administrator since 2014.

Four unmarked black slave graves discovered

It was a community effort to honor history and the lives of those who remained hidden on a hill.

Windham's African American Memorial Committee honored the lives of four African Americans buried in unmarked graves in the Cemetery on the Hill and, on a larger scope, to honor history as a whole during a time frame around the American Revolution.

Members of the committee and other supporters joined this past summer at the cemetery to officially dedicate a new marker.

The committee formed last year and in conjunction with other groups in town, including Windham Endowment, cemetery trustees, the Historic District Commission and Windham Presbyterian Church, began a journey to not only identify and honor the four buried in Cemetery on the Hill, but to remember Windham's African American townspeople who may have been forgotten.

That, according to historian and committee member Brad Dinsmore, was the decent thing to do.

Solar panels come to Nesmith Library

It's a shining solar success story and when the sun glows, the power is on.

Earlier this year, the Nesmith Library celebrated a new solar array atop the building on Fellows Road, the first town building to have such a direct line to the sun's energy to help save money.

Library patrons who enter the doors to check out books, work on a computer, or take in an activity or program pass by a wall-mounted screen where the sun's power is tallied and displayed for everyone to see.

The project got its impetus through the hard work of the town's Local Energy Committee, a group of residents interested in doing what they can to study ways to save taxpayers money by tapping into more energy-efficient efforts like LED lighting and updated, more efficient systems for heating and air conditioning.

The library is the first town building to have a solar project.

Pride festival comes to town for second year

In June, Windham welcomed its second annual Pride Festival, held at Windham High School.

The festival was hosted by Windham Citizens for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and was a family-friendly event featuring live music, food, games, raffles, drag performances and much more.

"Pride events are just as important in smaller communities as in big cities," said Jackey Bennett, co-chairman of Windham Citizens for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. "The response to last year's Pride Festival was truly amazing and we thank our supporting community members for stepping up once again to enable us to organize an even bigger, more accessible event this year."