Electric rates up less
According to a recent press release, data from the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) “Electric Power Monthly” report shows that residential electric rates in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have increased at a substantially greater rate than those in New Hampshire from 2017 to 2024.
Based on a cents-per kilowatt-hour basis for residential customers, Rhode Island rates have increased 127 percent more than New Hampshire’s, Connecticut rates have increased 94 percent more than New Hampshire’s, Massachusetts rates have increased 83 percent more than New Hampshire’s and Maine rates have increased 70 percent more than New Hampshire’s.
At the moment, Eversource residential customers in Boston pay a per kilowatt-hour rate 77 percent higher than Granite Staters, while Connecticut Eversource residential customers pay a rate 45 percent higher, which translates to an average household in New Hampshire using 625 kilowatt hours a month paying $50 to $90 less per month than those in Connecticut or Massachusetts. Visit eia.gov to view the report.
Mont Vernon house named Historic Place
In a recent press release, the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources announced that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior has listed Mont Vernon’s Old Meetinghouse in the National Register of Historic Places due to its architecture and service to the community as a center for town functions and as a place of worship.
Mont Vernon’s Old Meetinghouse was built in 1781-82 to serve that dual purpose and is located in the center of one of the few hilltop villages in New Hampshire, according to the same release. Most residents refer to it as the Mont Vernon Town Hall.
In 1837, the Meetinghouse was moved across the street to where it resides today. Renovations were made that included the clear delineation of the church sanctuary and the town office areas to comply with New Hampshire’s Toleration Act of 1819, which required a separation of church and state, according to the release.
It was built as a Georgian-era twin-porch meetinghouse, but with the renovations in 1837, aspects of Greek Revival style, popular in New England at the time, were added, including a broad gable front with closed pediment, a bell tower, and simple door and window surrounds, according to the press release.
In 1915 a mechanical clock was installed inside the two-stage bell tower’s square base and was topped by an octagonal belfry and a dome copper roof with a decorative weathervane, according to the release.
Mont Vernon’s Old Meetinghouse has kept many of its interior historic features from its 19th-century renovations, including plaster walls, wood floors, triple beadboard wainscotting and beadboard ceilings, according to the same release. Today, town offices make their homes on the first floor and the Mont Vernon Historical Society Museum on the second, according to the release.
More information on the National Register program in New Hampshire can be found at nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov.
More visitors to NH
In a recent press release the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, Division of Travel and Tourism (DTTD), announced it is anticipating an estimated 4.8 million people will visit New Hampshire this summer and expecting those visitors to spend around $2.6 billion.
This would be a 3 percent growth in the number of people visiting the Granite State from last year.
In a statement, NH Travel and Tourism Director Lori Harnois said that “while this past year marked a return to normal levels for leisure travel, nationally growth in that area is expected to be about 2.5%, and according to our research New Hampshire should follow that trend. … New Hampshire should see an added boost resulting from accelerated visitation from Canada. Canada is New Hampshire’s top international market, so this is very positive news for us, and we are anticipating a robust summer tourism season.” For more information, go to visitnh.gov.
Scholarship for nurses
In a recent press release, FedPoint, a benefits marketplace operator and third-party administrator, announced the four recipients of the $5,000 2024 FedPoint Nursing Scholarship, chosen from a field of more than 150 applicants. All are graduating high school students who will enter an accredited nursing program this fall.
The 2024 FedPoint Nursing Scholarship recipients are Callie Rocheleau, from Farmington High School; Annabelle Shumway, from Epping High School; Lauren Varney, from Sanborn Regional High School, and Anna Windisch, from Londonderry Senior High School, according to the release.
An award ceremony at FedPoint’s headquarters was held in Portsmouth on Tuesday, May 7, during National Nurses Week, according to the release.
On Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friends of Goffstown Public Library will host a book sale on the Library lawn (2 High St., Goffstown), according to their website. A $10 bag sale (bring your own reusable shopping bag) takes place from 1 to 2 p.m. Books are sorted and categorized, according to the website. Visit goffstownlibrary.com.
Join Special Olympics New Hampshire for its 2024 State Summer Games on Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. The games include competition in athletics, bocce, equestrian, powerlifting, unified sprint triathlons and swimming. Visit sonh.org.
Celebrate National Trails Day with Beaver Brook (117 Ridge Road, Hollis, beaverbrook.org) on Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants will help with the annual tradition of trail work, with a focus on cutting back branches encroaching on a trail, according to the website. Participants can park on Iron Works Lane by the Hollis-Jeff Smith Trailhead. Beaver Brook will provide necessary tools and snacks and will have extra work gloves just in case.
The Palace Theatres’ Kitchen Tour (Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) will take place Sunday, June 2, with a self-guided tour featuring beautiful kitchens in Bedford, Goffstown and Hooksett. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. at Granite State Cabinetry (384 Route 101, Bedford, 472-4080, gscabinetry.com). Tickets cost $55 in advance, $65 on the day of the event.
