Two Grafton County candidates introduce themselves; Mascoma Health Center announces outreach grant

At the Oct. 15 meeting two people spoke during public comment to introduce themselves and to inform the Select Board about community outreach plans.

Kevin Howard introduced himself and said he is running for the Grafton County District 9 state representative seat and is interested in issues that matter to Orange residents; his campaign website was listed in the minutes as Howard4NH.com. Tom Oppel likewise introduced himself as a candidate for the same seat and listed ThomasOppel4NH.com as his campaign website.

Tom Oppel, speaking also in his capacity with the Community Outreach and Resource Agent (CORA) program, informed the board that the Mascoma Community Health Center has received a federal grant to identify residents who are not seeking medical, behavioral or dental care, with the intent to educate and connect them to providers. He said he will keep the board informed about that outreach effort.

Separately, Secretary Catherine Souza said Enfield and the City of Lebanon are preparing a grant-funded Mascoma Lake watershed management plan that includes portions of Orange; the board asked her to send a townwide email inviting residents to express interest in joining a steering committee. The minutes also note broadband and Parks & Recreation scheduling items and express thanks to Samara Pitre and Dewey Mathis for hosting the Orange Harvest Festival.

The Select Board did not take formal action on the candidates’ statements or the CORA grant report; both items were recorded under public comment and community reports.