Author: The Hippo Press

School projects

The State Board of Education has approved a list of 17 New Hampshire school districts seeking funding for construction projects for the fiscal years 2024 and 2025, ranked according to priority. According to a press release, the top five districts are Rochester (Nancy Loud School and School Street School), Colebrook (Colebrook Academy & Elementary School), Monadnock Regional (Emerson Elementary, Gilsum STEAM Academy, Mt. Caesar Elementary, Troy Elementary and Cutler Elementary), Concord (Rundlett Middle School) and Litchfield (Griffin Memorial School). The proposed projects include new school buildings as well as additions, consolidations and renovations for existing school buildings. Priority was determined by various criteria, including school security, unsafe conditions, obsolete or inefficient conditions, operation efficiency and more. The total estimated funding sought for all 17 projects is about $227.7 million. NHDOE will present the list to the state legislature for consideration as part of its proposed overall budget; it is not yet known how many projects will be funded, and some of the projects would require local approval from voters before construction can begin.

Restoring Chandler House

Merrimack County Savings Bank has supported the Currier Museum of Art’s Chandler House Restoration Fund with a purchase of $10,000 in tax credits, facilitated through the Community Development Finance Authority. According to a press release, CDFA tax credits allow New Hampshire businesses to fund qualifying economic or community development projects in exchange for a tax credit worth 75 percent of their contribution that can be applied against state business tax payments. The Currier Museum of Art worked with the City of Manchester’s Planning and Community Development Department and supporters from the community to acquire the George Byron Chandler House, a 19th-century architectural landmark located across the street, completing the sale in February 2021. It is the third architectural landmark to be purchased by the museum, joining two houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The contribution from Merrimack County Savings Bank will be used to restore the Chandler House into a gallery, ceramic studio, art classrooms and office spaces. “We’re grateful for The Merrimack’s support as we restore this architectural treasure from the late 19th century to its original glory,” Alan Chong, director of the Currier Museum of Art, said in the release. “Saved by the community, we look forward to making the historic property accessible for everyone to enjoy.”

More historic spots

The State Historical Resources Council has added eight historic properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, representing 150 years of New Hampshire history, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. The properties include Brown School, one of eight public schools built in Berlin in the early 20th century; Academy Hall in Henniker, which was built in 1836 and alternated as the town’s high school, event venue and grange hall for more than a century; First Congregational Church, built in 1766 in Hopkinton; First Congregational Church and Parish House built in Milford in 1834; Eagle Hall in Milford, used as a meetinghouse and town hall in the late 18th century; the 1798 New Hampton Town House; Captain Smith Emerson Farm in Lee, dating to circa 1765; and Goodell Company Mill in Antrim, which includes five adjoining brick structures built between 1867 and 1895. Visit nh.gov/nhdhr for more information about the historic properties.

Planning help

The New Hampshire Alliance for End of Life Options, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association and Gibson Center, will host an online workshop, “Before You Lose Your Mind … Take Control and Start Planning,” on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom, for people who are concerned about developing or a loved one developing Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in their future. According to a press release, the workshop will address how people can specify what they want and don’t want for life-prolonging medical treatments and interventions should they not be able to speak for themselves due to Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in the future. It will include sample documents and real-life scenarios raising essential questions of life and death, and health care practitioners and an elder law attorney will guide the discussion and answer questions. The free workshop will be recorded and made available to people who register but are unable to attend. Visit nhendoflifeoptions.org/events-2.

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission and DHL Supply Chain celebrate the 27,000-square-foot expansion of the DHL distribution center in Bow with a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 10. According to a press release, the facility houses products sold by New Hampshire’s 67 Liquor & Wine Outlets and more than 6,200 licensed sellers in the state, and the expansion will allow it to hold more products, aligning with NHLC’s continued sales growth.

Families in Transition will host its 29th annual Breakfast Fundraiser on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Manchester. The event, which is FIT’s largest yearly fundraiser, will be held in person for the first time in three years. Funds raised support various FIT programs, including emergency shelters, affordable and supportive housing, food programs and essential supportive services for individuals and families who are homeless or in need. See fitnh.org.

A new temporary traffic pattern is being implemented on Route 101 in Bedford as part of the red-listed bridge replacement at Pulpit Brook, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced. Daytime paving was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 16, with the configuration expected to be functional by the end of the day on Tuesday, Nov. 22. On the days that road work is in progress, traffic will be directed through a single lane of alternating two-way traffic between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Once implemented, the new pattern will be in use until further notice.