Girl Scouts who grew up in Goffstown in the ’90s inadvertently brought some nostalgia to the town when the Goffstown Historical Society found a time capsule that two Girl Scout troops had prepared on May 22, 1995. According to a press release, three troop leaders’ names and phone numbers were listed on top of the blue plastic bin, and one, Jo Ann Duffy, was able to be reached; she did the honors of opening the capsule on May 12. A few of the girls, now in their mid-30s, were found and were able to watch the opening via Facebook Live. Among the items were a TV Guide, Pogs, the 1994 Goffstown town report, an American Girl doll catalog, an empty box of Thin Mints and a biography created by each Girl Scout, with photos, drawings and messages to themselves in the future.
Score: +1
Comment:One of the former Girl Scouts, Kat Miller, watched the opening via Facebook and wrote, “This is amazing! We put in a Baby-Sitters Club book, and I’m a book editor now and my BOSS created that book series!”
Fake food inspectors, DMV employees
Last week the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services warned restaurants that people posing as health inspectors have been calling eateries to schedule an inspection, threatening to impose fines if they do not schedule an appointment and in at least one case demanding payment. According to a press release, health inspectors conduct inspections unannounced and would not call to schedule appointments, threaten enforcement actions or ask for money over the phone. And on Monday, the New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General issued a warning that imposters posing as employees from the Department of Motor Vehicles have been contacting consumers via text; in one scam, the message says the DMV is awarding a cash prize to the consumer for being a safe driver, and it includes a link to claim the “prize.”
Score: -1
Comment: On the bright side, it’s unlikely that anyone believed the state would be offering cash prizes for good driving.
Another year without balloons
The Annual Hot Air Balloon Rally in Pittsfield has been canceled for the second year, according to a post on the event’s Facebook page. The Suncook Valley Rotary Club announced last week that preparations for the rally typically begin early in the year, including fundraising, and with the direction of the pandemic being uncertain at that time, it was difficult to get started. At this point the club would normally be working with vendors but felt that “while our entire community is still dealing with and recovering from this public health pandemic it is not practical to request or make such commitments,” the post read.
Score: -1
Comment:“While it is sad to think about missing the Balloon Rally this summer, we plan to be back in 2022 bigger and better than ever,” the club wrote.
But the Senior Games are back!
All of the sports and events that make up the New Hampshire Senior Games will be back this year, after most were canceled in 2020, according to a press release, and registration is now open. The games are open to age groups starting at 40, all the way up to 90+. Events will start in late June with the Candlepin Bowling Tournament and end in September with a cycling event; in between there will be 18 other events and sports, including archery, cornhole, golf, pickleball, power walking, swimming, tennis and volleyball. New Hampshire athletes who finish in the top three for their sport will qualify for the 2022 National Games, scheduled for next spring in Ft. Lauderdale. Visit nhseniorgames.org.
Score: +1
Comment: Despite the disconcerting realization that QOL is actually old enough to participate in the senior games, this is happy news for any adults over 40 who have been waiting for a good reason to be active and social once again.
QOL score: 71
Net change: 0
QOL this week: 71
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
During the state’s weekly public health update on May 13, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that positive case numbers of Covid-19 in New Hampshire continue to be on the decline, averaging between 150 and 200 new infections per day over the previous week, while the test positivity rate was at roughly 3 percent. As of May 13, there have been 178 confirmed “breakthrough” infections of the virus, meaning those that occurred despite individuals being fully vaccinated. “We are going to see vaccine breakthrough cases, but it’s a very low number when you consider the number of people that have been fully vaccinated,” said Chan, noting that it’s less than 0.1 percent of these cases relative to overall vaccinations.
Later during the press conference, when asked about the CDC’s new guidance released earlier that day saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors in most cases, Chan said he was “a little bit unhappy” with how it was rolled out. “The difficult choices have always been around what the correct timing is,” he said. “Anytime the CDC puts out this type of guidance, we never just simply adopt it because the CDC has put it out. We’ve always, throughout this pandemic, taken the time to review it, understand it, look at our own numbers, look at our own situation [and] make decisions based on our own local context, and we will do that in this situation as well.”
As of last week, children and teens ages 12 to 15 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. “We have already had 6,000 12- to 15-year-olds register out of the 60,000 people in this age group,” Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, said during the press conference. “We have seen even young, otherwise healthy people get hospitalized or have weeks or months of breathing problems that impacted their ability to play sports or exercise, so we do encourage all parents to make that choice to get their child vaccinated.”
Gov. Chris Sununu also announced during the press conference that beginning this week New Hampshire is opening up each of its state-run vaccination sites to walk-ins, with no appointments needed, between 3 and 6 p.m. Both Pfizer and Moderna are available at these sites. Second-dose appointments will still be scheduled at the time of the first vaccination.
Downtown development
Last week, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig submitted proposals to transform two large city-owned downtown parking lots — the Pearl Street Lot and Hartnett Lot — into mixed-use, mixed-income housing developments in an effort to address the city’s housing shortage. According to a press release, Craig’s Requests for Proposals drafts, which were sent to the city’s Lands and Buildings Aldermanic Committee for approval, require that some units be affordable, based on Housing and Urban Development’s definition of affordable housing, and the number of affordable units will be the biggest factor in the evaluation criteria. Further, the proposals must not reduce any existing public parking spaces, and they must be architecturally pleasing and pedestrian-friendly. “Manchester has been named the hottest real estate market in the country for the second year in a row, and in order to keep up with demand, there is a desperate need for not only more affordable housing but more housing in general,” Craig said in the release. The Queen City’s Affordable Housing Taskforce, which was established in March 2020, released its final report last month, with the first recommendation being to “prioritize the development of affordable housing on City-owned parking lots and vacant City-owned land,” the release said. On May 18, Craig also announced a proposal to create a Housing Commission, which was another recommendation made by the Affordable Housing Task Force. “Through this commission, the City of Manchester will continue to engage members of our community in finding innovative solutions to the rising cost of housing,” Craig said in the release. The commission would be responsible for following up on the many recommendations made by the Affordable Housing Task Force. The proposal was scheduled to go before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen Committee on Administration on the evening of May 18.
Free class for grads
All 2021 high school graduates are being offered a free class of their choice at any of New Hampshire’s community colleges in the fall. According to a press release, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges have committed more than $1 million, plus advising and other services from the community colleges, to help students on their future educational and career paths. Any student graduating from a New Hampshire high school in 2021 can take any three-credit course at any of the seven colleges in the Community College System of NH, including courses that are part of certificate programs for skilled trades. The gift covers tuition and associated fees, and the colleges will work with students to help with course selection. Eligible students can contact the admissions office at their local community college.
Record lottery sales
On May 17, the New Hampshire Lottery announced that it has set an all-time annual sales record, with seven weeks still remaining in the fiscal year. Gross sales have exceeded $434 million, according to a press release, which is more than a 30-percent year-over-year increase. Net profit to date is approximately $107 million and is on pace to reach $130 million. The previous record net profit was $105.5 million, set in Fiscal Year 2019. That profit goes to the state’s public education system, which has received $2.2 billion since the lottery’s inception in 1964. “As we look ahead, the New Hampshire Lottery is well-positioned to continue building on this momentum to benefit the students and teachers of New Hampshire for years and years to come,” Charlie McIntyre, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said in the release. Almost all of the state’s lottery games are ahead of last year’s sales pace, including Fast Play, which is up more than 200 percent; NH iLottery, which is up 136 percent; KENO 603, up nearly 52 percent; Gimme 5, up more than 37 percent; and scratch ticket sales, which are up more than 21 percent. Large Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots, which reached a combined $1.58 billion in January, also contributed to the sales record, the release said.
Ed funding lawsuit
Last week the Mascoma Valley Regional and Derry Cooperative school districts announced that they will join nine other school districts as co-plaintiffs in ConVal School District’s lawsuit against the state over equitable education funding. According to a press release, the plaintiffs argue that the state does not meet its constitutional obligation to provide adequate funding for all students, saying that base adequacy — which provided $3,636 per student in all districts in 2019 — is not sufficient. In March, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire rejected the state’s request to dismiss the lawsuit. The case now goes back to Superior Court Judge David Ruoff, who will hold hearings allowing the plaintiffs to present evidence that the state underfunds education; an evidentiary hearing isn’t expected until the summer of 2022, according to the release. The other school districts involved in the lawsuit so far are Oyster River, Grantham, Claremont, Fall Mountain, Hillsboro-Deering, Mascenic, Monadnock, Newport and Wincheste r. Ruoff has given New Hampshire districts until Friday, May 22, to decide whether to join the lawsuit. “As a regional school district, Mascoma Valley experiences the injustice of New Hampshire’s educational funding mechanism which pits community against community instead of uniting us in the common goal of education,” Tim Josephson, Vice Chair of the Mascoma School Board, said in the release. “The legislature’s lack of action since the Claremont lawsuits has deepened inequities, allowing the state to continue shrinking its constitutionally-mandated responsibility.”
Boscawen has been awarded a $500,000 Cleanup Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the former Allied Leather site on Commercial Street. According to a press release, the site, which has housed various mill operations and a leather tannery, has been vacant since 1987 and is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum, metals and other contaminants. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities. The Town of Jaffrey also received a grant: $300,000 to assess and develop cleanup plans for various sites in town.
Concord’s Giant Indoor Yard Sale returns on Saturday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Everett Arena. There will be thousands of items, according to a press release, and admission is $5 for adults; kids 12 and under get in free.
High school students at Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies in Manchester helped Manchester Community College’s student senate for the second year with its Sleep In Heavenly Peace Build a Bed event, which brings together volunteers to build beds for local kids who are sleeping on the floor, according to a press release. Students from both schools built 15 bunk beds for local under-resourced families.
A team from Nashua Community College is one of 12 national finalists that has been selected to move on to the next phase in the 2021 Community College Innovation Challenge. According to a press release from the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Science Foundation, the team will attend a Virtual Boot Camp in June to interact with entrepreneurs and business experts, culminating in a Student Innovation Showcase with a pitch presentation to determine the winner. The Nashua group will present its EnviroMask project to develop an environmentally friendly, fully biodegradable face mask using cotton with bioplastic and non-woven bamboo fiber, the release said.
Regal Hooksett 8, the movie theater off Interstate 93 Exit 10 in Hooksett, will reopen Friday, May 21, according to a reply from Regal Cinema’s customer relations team. The Regal Concord is also set to open May 21. Last weekend was opening weekend for Regal Newington and O’neil Cinemas in Epping; Chunky’s in Manchester, Nashua and Pelham have remained open (AMC theaters are also open, though with reduced numbers of screenings). By the time A Quiet Place Part II is released on Friday, May 28 (Memorial Day weekend), movie-goers will (hopefully) have several local screens to choose from if they choose to check out a movie. (Other area theaters in operation include Smitty’s Cinema in Tilton and the Cinemark in Salem.)
Score: +1
Comment: QOL is ready for some popcorn.
Putting out fires
A New Hampshire fire captain has won a national award for his efforts in fire prevention. One of only five Smokey Bear Award winners nationwide, Capt. Douglas Miner of the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau recently received the honor from the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service for “outstanding service with significant and sustained program impact in wildfire prevention,” according to a press release. In 2019, during Smokey Bear’s year-long 75th birthday celebration, Miner coordinated dozens of events in New Hampshire that featured Smokey Bear, with an estimated 12,000 people attending 61 events, the release said.
Score: +1
Comment: In his nomination of Miner, Brad Simpkins of the U.S. Forest Service (and former New Hampshire State Forester and director of the state’s Division of Forests and Lands) wrote that “Doug’s efforts, while above and beyond his normally busy ranger duties, are equal to or rival those that could be accomplished with a full-time prevention coordinator.”
Big summer expected for the Granite State
New Hampshire could have one of its busiest summer seasons in recent years, thanks to an increasing demand for travel, high vaccination rates and a wealth of outdoor recreation. According to a press release, the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development is projecting 3.45 million visitors to the Granite State this summer, with spending reaching $1.8 billion — nearly as much as 2019’s pre-pandemic levels. To help with these efforts, the department is launching a special summer advertising campaign that highlights New Hampshire’s recreational opportunities and will target states on the East Coast, including New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio.
Score: +1
Comment: Despite the pandemic, visitation to New Hampshire was down only 14.9 percent last summer, according to the release.
A concerning uptick
As a lifelong New Hampshire resident, QOL is no stranger to ticks, but this season so far seems to be worse than usual. The sidelines of a high school baseball field have been especially ripe with ticks; not a single game has gone by without multiple spectators having to pick ticks off themselves, their bags or chairs and their dogs — the record that QOL has heard so far was one parent who found five ticks during one game. According to a publication from the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, these are likely American dog ticks, the most frequently encountered tick in New Hampshire, or the smaller, more rounded blacklegged tick, the second most common species in the state.
Score: -2
Comment:It’s hard to enjoy the great outdoors when you’re worried about ticks crawling all over you.
QOL score: 70
Net change: +1
QOL this week: 71
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
During the state’s weekly public health update on May 6, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire has averaged between 200 and 250 new infections of Covid-19 per day in the last week, a decrease from the week prior. The number of active infections has also been on a slight decline, while the number of hospitalizations has been steady.
According to Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, more than 1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have now been administered in the state, including to 725,000 people who have received their first dose. Of those, 505,000 people (just over a third of the state’s population) have now been fully vaccinated.
The state’s “Safer at Home” advisory, in place since June 2020, expired at midnight on May 7. In its place as of that date are now “universal best practices” guidance documents for state businesses. They can be viewed online at covidguidance.nh.gov. “There are no further requirements that we are going to be instituting for large gatherings,” Sununu said later during the press conference when asked about the new guidance documents. “[The best practices guidelines are] all-encompassing and just reminding folks of how they can keep themselves, their employees and their customers safe without the actual statewide-driven mandate.”
Also on May 7, Sununu issued Executive Order 2021-8, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the pandemic for another three weeks through at least May 28. It’s the 20th extension he has issued since declaring a state of emergency in March 2020.
Queen City ARP funds
Last week Mayor Joyce Craig released the results of a survey that asked Manchester residents how they want the city’s American Rescue Plan funds — about $44 million — to be spent. According to a press release, of the 159 residents who responded, nearly 32 percent want to spend the money on improving roads, connecting the rail trail, and promoting a more walkable and livable city. Approximately 28 percent said their top priority was affordable housing and assisting those in Manchester experiencing homelessness. Ten percent want to see education improvements, 10 percent want the money spent on downtown improvements and local businesses, and 7 percent want the funds to go to public health. As part of the survey, most respondents noted the social isolation, anxiety and financial impacts brought on by the pandemic, but nearly 24 percent also talked about the positive impact that the past year has brought: “It has slowed us down in a way where we value our local community and realize the dependencies we have on each other. We’ve learned to love our neighbors more and to support ALL the businesses and people that are working hard each day,” one resident wrote, according to the press release.
“The results of our community feedback survey show that our residents are ready to bounce back from this Covid-19 pandemic and address important issues like infrastructure, housing and education,” Craig said in the release.
Property tax relief
The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration is once again offering low- and moderate-income homeowners the opportunity to apply for property tax relief, according to a press release. The Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief program is now accepting applications through June 30. Eligible applicants are either single with adjusted gross income less than or equal to $20,000 or married or head of New Hampshire household with adjusted gross income less than or equal to $40,000, and have owned and resided in a home that is subject to the State Education Property Tax and resided in as of April 1, 2020. The application is available at revenue.nh.gov or by calling 230-5001. Individual income tax returns must be submitted with the application.
Tax exemptions
On May 5, Mayor Joyce Craig and the Board of Assessors announced a change to tax exemptions that expands the eligibility requirements for elderly and disabled Manchester residents. According to a press release, income limits for this population are increasing from $37,000 to $41,000 for single individuals, and from $50,000 to $55,000 for married individuals. Asset limits are increasing from $90,000 to $100,000 for single individuals and $115,000 to $130,000 for married individuals. Elderly residents must be 65 or older as of April 1, must have been a resident of New Hampshire for three consecutive years on or before April 1, and must be the owner of record of the property in question. Disabled residents must be eligible for payments under Title II or Title XVI of the federal Social Security Act, must have been a New Hampshire resident for at least five years as of April 1, and must be the owner of record as of April 1. Residents who now qualify based on the expanded exemption have until Friday, June 18, to file an application and can call 624-6520 or visit manchesternh.gov.
Education funding
Last week the Oyster River Cooperative and the Grantham school districts announced that they will join the school districts of Claremont, Fall Mountain, Hillsboro-Deering, Mascenic, Monadnock, Newport and Winchester as co-plaintiffs in ConVal School District’s lawsuit against the state over equitable education funding. According to a press release, the plaintiffs argue that the state does not meet its constitutional obligation to provide adequate funding for all students, saying that base adequacy — which provided $3,636 per student in all districts in 2019 — is not sufficient. In March, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire rejected the state’s request to dismiss the lawsuit. The case now goes back to Superior Court Judge David Ruoff, who will hold hearings allowing the plaintiffs to present evidence that the state underfunds education; an evidentiary hearing isn’t expected until the summer of 2022, according to the release.
The Centennial Hotel in Concord has been nominated for the annual Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, according to a press release, along with 30 other hotels and ski resorts in the state, most of which are in the White Mountains. The cities of Manchester and Concord were also nominated and will go up against the best in class for special recognition in the magazine’s November issue, the release said.
The historical Stone House in Hooksett will stay standing, the Hooksett Heritage Commission announced in a press release. RCA Holdings is not moving forward with plans to demolish the building and replace it with a storage facility, and the property is on the market again, for $675,000, the release said.
UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Goffstown is hosting a Community Horse Drive Thru on Saturday, May 15, from 10 to 11 a.m., according to a press release. Meet the nonprofit’s horses and horse handlers, whom you’ll be able to visit with right at your car window. To RSVP visit upreachtec.org or call 497-2343.
Several properties have been added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, including the Morrison House, circa 1760, in Londonderry, one of the oldest standing capes in town and the only surviving building from one of its earliest settled areas, according to a press release. Other properties include the Association Hall in Derry, Andover Town Hall and the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church.
Whether you love getting your hands dirty or you’ve never lifted a gardening tool in your life, there’s something to be said for enjoying the elegance of a garden that other people grow. Find out what it takes to create these public gardens where you can reap the beautiful benefits without any of the work.
Also on the cover, local chef Keith Sarasin talks about his new book, Meat: The Ultimate Cookbook, p. 24. Give your wine experience some French flair, p. 29. And James Montgomery teams up with Bob McCarthy and Billy Martin for a live blues show, p. 34.
Covid-19 updateAs of May 3As of May 10Total cases statewide95,50696,801Total current infections statewide1,9791,492Total deaths statewide1,3051,315New cases1,571 (April 27 to May ...
The Fisher Cats opened their season on the road in Portland on May 4, and their home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, May 11. Find out what this year will be like at the stadium, which players to watch and why a revamped schedule means more fan-favorite match-ups.
Also on the cover, why you don’t have to wait until June to plant strawberries, p. 16. LaBelle Winery is opening its new location in Derry, with a restaurant, minigolf and more, p. 22. Michael Witthaus talks with the band Truffle, which will perform live at the Tupelo Drive-In, p. 31.
Covid-19 updateAs of April 26As of May 3Total cases statewide93,93595,506Total current infections statewide2,7171,979Total deaths statewide1,21,28601,305New cases2,152 (April 20 to April ...
