Grant funds available to improve New Hampshire cultural facilities
New Hampshire arts and cultural organizations seeking funding to improve facilities that serve as venues for their programming are invited to apply for a New Hampshire State Council on the Arts’ Cultural Facilities grant.
Grant funding must support projects that provide long-term improvements to a New Hampshire venue the organization uses for cultural programming, including for the renovation or maintenance of a facility, or for the purchase of major equipment to improve the venue, including to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Grants will be awarded for projects that will take place between April 1, 2024, and Jan. 31, 2025. Funding requests may be made for amounts between $2,000 and $25,000.
“New Hampshire is so well-known for the depth and breadth of cultural experiences available, including visual arts and crafts, music, dance, theater, media and literary arts,” said Adele Bauman, director of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. “These Cultural Facilities grants will help ensure that the experiences that unite us continue to be accessible in our communities, and that they are more readily available to all who wish to participate.”
In order to be eligible for a New Hampshire State Arts Council Cultural Facilities grant, the facility that would receive project funding must be in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the organization applying must have established goals to provide access to the facility for its programming and/or its services, or the organization must have a cultural access plan in place that outlines ADA accessibility goals for the facility.
Eligible organizations must have at least one year’s experience in providing arts programming for the general public. Among other requirements, they also must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS and be a registered not-for-profit organization in New Hampshire.
While the organization applying for grant funding is not required to own or purchase the venue where the project will take place, it must have established at least a three-year lease or the option to lease the venue for at least three years once the project is complete.
All applicants seeking funding for cultural facilities that are historic – defined as being at least 50 years old – will need to submit a Request for Project Review form from the state Division of Historical Resources to avoid any potential harmful impacts the project might have on the venue’s historic integrity.
Grant applications will be reviewed using the following criteria:
The deadline to apply for a New Hampshire State Council on the Arts’ Cultural Facilities Grant is Feb. 9. For more information, visit nh.gov/nharts. — NASHUA TELEGRAPH
New look for Equestrian Village presented to Peterborough Planning Board
Fieldstone Consulting’s rendering of the proposed subdivision off Burke Road, at the existing Shadow Fox Farm equestrian property. (Photo courtesy of Fieldstone Consulting)
Nearly 30 abutters and neighbors from the Burke Road and Contoocook Lane neighborhoods, as well as Peterborough Planning Board members, heard about design changes to the proposed Equestrian Village development Monday night.
Plans for the existing Shadow Fox Farm equestrian property off Burke Road currently include 53 homes. Chad Branon of Fieldstone Land Consultants and attorney James Callahan represented Star Mountain Properties, a Miami-based developer. Branon noted that the project is still in design phase and that Star Mountain has not submitted a formal application for the project.
“The formal application will include a lot more detail. There is still a lot of work to be done,” Branon said.
In response to feedback from the Planning Board and public comments from November, modifications to the design include a revised roadway layout, including plan profiles for all the roadways that follow the topography of the property and keep most roads at between a 3% and 5% grade. The revised design removes the professional-scale equestrian barns from the calculated open space. The barns will remain part of the main residence parcel.
“The fields and paddocks are counted as open space. The barns are no longer counted as open space. We took that out of the equation,” Branon said. “We feel this application meets the all the criteria for open space residential development.”
According to the current design plan, the development will be preserving 104 acres of land, with 85 acres in separate house lots and 20 acres in easement. State law includes equestrian land as “agricultural” land, which is classified as open space. Peterborough zoning regulations adhere to state regulations on open space.
Other modifications to the design include space for sidewalks along roadways, a revised trail network and more buffering for surrounding properties. Branon said that the design provides for far more buffer space than is required.
“This plan does not do the project justice because it is at such a large scale. The closest home to the river is 380 feet away, and the closest home on Monadnock Lane is 330 feet, home to home. There are 600 feet between any homes to the east,” Branon said.
Lisa Stone, chair of the Planning Board, noted that the proposed design allows the developer to save open space.
“If this were a traditional subdivision – which would also be allowed – they would not have to leave the green space,” Stone said.
Several Planning Board members said they were concerned about the “sprawl” nature of the development, which has 3/4-acre lots for each home. Branon reminded the board that the design follows Peterborough’s zoning requirements.
“That is not our fault. We are following the town’s requirements,” he said.
“This just illustrates the devastating results of taking away the Planning Board’s ability to approve 1/4-acre lots,” said Planning Board member Sarah Sternberg Heller said, referring to a 2019 change in Peterborough zoning approved by voters. “It’s frustrating.”
In the public session, abutters and neighbors expressed repeated concerns about safety in the neighborhood and the environmental impact of horses, including the effects of animal waste on the watershed. Richard MacNamara, a member of the Contoocook River Advisory Board, asked who would be monitoring the runoff from the property.
Darren Janess, an abutter to the property, expressed concerns about the ability of the proposed homeowners’ association at the equestrian village to successfully manage the finances of the property. Stone stated that the HOA was out of the Planning Board’s purview, and Callahan said that all HOAs are approved by the state.
“The HOA proposal will be in State of NH attorney general’s office. They are putting tight scrutiny on all these projects, making sure they are funded, looking at consumer protection,” Callahan said.
Stone said Star Mountain will need to “figure out the land mass,” create a waste-management plan and “work on traffic calming” before returning to the Planning Board. Town Planner Danica Melone said the town will be recommending a well study for the formal application. — Jesseca Timmons/Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
With housing in short supply, Rochester opens affordable apartments for seniors
Champlin Place, a new 65-unit apartment complex, aims to help ease the area’s affordable housing crisis for seniors. (Courtesy of Easterseals)
A new housing initiative in Rochester aims to address the affordable housing crisis for a growing segment of New Hampshire’s population: older adults. This month, people will begin moving into Champlin Place, a new 65-unit apartment building with accessibility features, support staff and low monthly rent.
Easterseals New Hampshire, which built and manages the new housing, said residents will be able to request regular check-ins from staff and help with home cleaning, grocery shopping, transportation and medical needs.
The apartment complex fits a housing profile that advocates say is desperately needed in New Hampshire, where limited and expensive housing stock pose major challenges for low-income residents, including people hoping to age in place.
The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority says that less than 4% of the state’s housing units have a contract or are managed to ensure affordability — and about half of these are for seniors. The organization manages a number of these properties in Rochester, but demand far exceeds supply.
Marie Poole, who directs housing and property management for Easterseals, said they were overwhelmed by applicants and already have a waitlist.
“We could build four Champlin House places and fill them right now,” she said.
To qualify for a unit in the complex, people must make less than 60% of the area’s median annual income, or less than $51,780. A small number of units are reserved for people who make less than $30,000. The most expensive rent for the units is $1,400 with utilities, and some residents are paying rent in part with housing vouchers.
Easterseals director Maureen Beauregard said the units provide a more affordable option for seniors who may have some physical or health limitations, but don’t need expensive full-time care. Most of the new residents are moving from nearby, and some are moving back to Rochester after being away for decades.
“They deserve a place that’s beautiful and warm and affordable, and a place where they don’t have to worry,” she said. — Sarah Gibson/NH Public Radio
Secondwind Water commits $15k to support Goffstown Baseball dugout renovation
Goffstown Junior Baseball recently received a $15,000 donation from Secondwind Water Systems Inc. that will elevate the baseball program serving six area towns.
The donation is specifically earmarked to renovate dugouts and update benches at the field.
“We are incredibly grateful for the donation by Secondwind Water,” said Vanessa Hayes, Goffstown Junior Baseball League President. “We count on the generosity of our community partners to provide a top-tier experience to the children and families within our area.”
The donation will be used to demolish and rebuild two minor field dugouts and replace deteriorating benches for the Little League program, which supports multiple towns in the area.
“We knew the dugouts needed to be rebuilt but weren’t sure where to go for the level of financial support we needed to make it happen,” said R.J. Brown, Goffstown Junior Baseball League Vice President and Secondwind Water System Inc.’s Water Specialists Manager.
Brown turned to his employer, Secondwind Water Systems Inc., to ask for financial support.
“We were really excited when R.J. told us about the opportunity,” said Shana Hoch, president and CEO of Secondwind Water Systems, Inc. “He’s been involved with youth sports for years, and especially has a passion for baseball. When he told us about the need in Goffstown, we were happy to step up and support the team and community in this undertaking.”
The Goffstown Junior Baseball Fields, previously called Villa Augustina Fields, are located at 14 Mast Road in Goffstown, support youth players across Goffstown, New Boston, Dunbarton, Weare, Hillsboro, and Deering, New Hampshire. The new steel benches with vinyl coating will be installed in spring, before the season starts. The dugouts will also receive a fresh coat of green paint as soon as the weather allows.
“Goffstown and surrounding areas often have residents and businesses seeking our support for water treatment,” said Melissa Leroux, marketing manager at Secondwind. “So, it was a natural fit for us to give back to the communities that we work with day in and day out. We’re happy we could help.”
More cold-climate heat pump prototypes announced, as Energy Secretary visits NH
The U.S.’s top energy official, Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, visited New Hampshire Monday to tout clean energy investments, as federal officials announced progress made in developing heat pumps that work more effectively in cold climates.
In an interview with NHPR Monday, Granholm highlighted the work of the Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge, which was started in 2021 to accelerate the development of heat pumps that work comfortably and efficiently in cold climates.
Heat pumps, which allow people to heat their homes with electricity, help move residential energy use away from fossil fuels like propane, gas, or heating oil, which are contributing to climate change. About 35% of the country’s energy consumption goes to heating and cooling, according to the Department of Energy.
In subzero temperatures, heat pumps can operate less efficiently, in particular for older models of heat pumps. The challenge asked heat pump manufacturers to develop systems designed for a temperature of 5 degrees, with an option to also develop systems optimized for 15 degrees below zero.
The Department of Energy announced that Midea, Bosch, Daikin, and Johnson Controls have developed prototypes that are more efficient than current heat pumps and can operate at 100% heating capacity at 5 degrees Fahrenheit without the use of supplemental heat.
Those companies join Carrier, Lennox International, Trane Technologies, and Rheem, whose prototypes have also passed lab tests. This year, prototypes are expected to be installed and monitored in cold locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“It’s pretty exciting to see the uptake in heat pump technology,” Granholm said. “People recognize that it reduces their energy bills, reduces their carbon pollution, and also it saves them a lot of money. But now, making sure we are making that technology available to colder climates, that is going to help the entire nation be able to do this.”
Granholm visited with Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, as well as Rep. Annie Kuster, at Turn Cycle Solutions in Nashua, to talk about investments in energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“We have set forth these irresistible incentives for a clean energy economy,” she said, highlighting three companies in New Hampshire that have benefited from federal investments that are making EVs, solar panel parts, and batteries.
“This is basically a $23 trillion global market for clean energy products, and the United States now has become the irresistible place to locate that production,” she said. — Mara Hoplamazian/NH Public Radio
Another piece of Chinese owned property in Nashua has come to the public’s attention — the former Daniel Webster College property, encompassing some 52 acres. Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess encouraged the Board of Aldermen on Sept. 9 to pass a resolution giving him the authority to seek state and/or federal funds to purchase the property, currently owned by Xinhua Education Consulting Services Corp.
The nonprofit and ReVision Energy expand renewable energy portfolio with new solar panels across five properties in the Monadnock Region
While home prices might be moderating in other parts of the country, the median price of a single-family house in New Hampshire rose to $550,000 in August, the second highest price point this current year. That price is just $3,000 more than the $547,000 recorded in July, but it is $47,500 more than January’s $502,500. The highest median price in 2025 was $569,450, recorded in June and the most ever recorded in the state.
ApprenticeshipNH has partnered with Associated Builders and Contractors of New Hampshire/Vermont and Elm Grove Companies to launch New Hampshire’s first registered apprenticeship program (RAP) for maintenance technicians
Explore how post-pandemic growth, affordability challenges, and evolving housing trends are transforming the Queen City’s future.
The Lake Estate on Winnisquam sees diamonds and stars in its future
Amid a statewide housing shortage, a religious nonprofit recently opened applications for more than 60 new workforce housing apartments in Peterborough.
Concord considers $535K rail purchase to extend Greenway Trail, raising questions for Scenic Railriders
Relax & Co., which provided an array of services to property owners in the Lake Sunapee area, had already been forced to lay off workers earlier this month.
