NEW HAMPSHIRE - Feds decide to shoulder $30k of cost of policing last summer's Hell Angels 'run' .

OFF THE WIRE
 Michael Kitch
 laconiadailysun.com
Sheriff Craig Wiggin told the Belknap County Commission last night that the federal government has agreed to reimburse local law enforcement agencies for up to $30,000 of the personnel costs incurred in policing the Hell's Angels "World Run" held in Laconia last July.
The World Run, a convention of sorts, was the second held in the city since 2003. Wiggin said that initially he and former Laconia Police Chief Mike Moyer were informed that unlike in 2003 when the New Hampshire Congressional delegation secured federal funds they should not expect assistance. However, John Kacavas, the United States Attorney for New Hampshire, approached the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ), which provided funds through its "Project Safe Neighborhoods" program.
Wiggin estimated that between 500 and 600 Hell's Angels attended the World Run.  He said that Laconia incurred $10,000 in additional expenses, Belmont $1,500 and  the Belknap County Sheriff's Department $2,000 while Meredith and Gilford have yet to report, estimating the aggregate costs will be less than the $30,000 awarded.
The focal point of the gathering, as before, was a compound located at the dead end of Fillmore Ave., off White Oaks Road in Laconia.
No significant law enforcement issues or incidents were reported during the World Run
Wiggin also announced that the USDOJ awarded Laconia a $21,571 grant, $3,000 of which must be shared  with the Belknap County Sheriff's Department. He said that he would use the funds to purchase a mobile data terminal for one the department's cruisers.
NOTES: The Belknap County Commissioners unanimously agreed to contract with Bauen Construction of Meredith to complete the renovations to the HVAC system at the Belknap County Courthouse. After revising the scope of work, Bauen trimmed its original bid of $1,473,780 to $1,039,000 and suggested that the cost could be further reduced to less than $1-million the commissioners budgeted for the project. . . . . . After reviewing the financial condition of the county, Moody's chose to maintain its bond rating at AA2 with a negative outlook, which County Administrator Debra Shackett described as "a very good rating for any county or city." She explained  that in 2009 Moody's added the negative outlook  primarily because of the level of the undesignated fund balance and  prevailing economic conditions in the county. She had hoped that a growing fund balance would prompt Moody's to remove the negative outlook. However, she that because the county's finances were buoyed in 2010 and 2011 by "stimulus funds" allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, they decided to revisit the issue in two years, when those monies would be off the books.