Greenfield Meetinghouse project gets $1 million grant
Efforts to renovate and restore the historic Greenfield Meetinghouse just received a $1 million boost, as the Town of Greenfield received a forgivable loan in that amount from the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority.
The CDFA stated that the town will “create a year-round, multi-generational space that will serve priority populations and numerous nonprofit organizations that serve the community. This community center is essential to a rich civic and cultural community life for all residents.”
Greenfield Town Administrator Aaron Patt said that the grant will help update the Meeting House facilities and “improve access for community stakeholders who look forward to using the building regularly.”
“The Meeting House has always been the town’s center for recreational activities, community services, civic and social services,” Patt said. “This grant will provide the Select Board with the ability to promote the town’s community center, which underscores the commitment of the town to its residents. The result will be a community center that is accessible and open, and a place where recreation, civic and social services can help the community thrive. Having a welcoming space that is open for everyone is a huge benefit that underscores the community spirit of Greenfield.”
In 2019, the Town of Greenfield received a Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) grant to assess the condition of the Meetinghouse. The assessment, completed by Misiaszek Turpin architects, estimated that the building needs between $1.5 million and $2 million of repairs and renovations to provide accessibility, improve energy efficiency and bring the building up to code. The Greenfield Meetinghouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “the oldest meetinghouse in the State of New Hampshire used by both church and state.”
“The FGCM board is thrilled that the Town of Greenfield has been awarded $1 million in funds to renovate our community meeting house. Our board, the Select Board, and Aaron Patt worked tirelessly to make this happen. This is a testament to what happens when we all work together. We also want to thank all those who have and continue to volunteer their time to bring together the many events that resulted in the success of this well-deserved grant. This is what makes a small town a wonderful place to live,” said Sheldon Pennoyer, chair of the Friends of the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse.
According to the CDFA, the Governor and Executive Council approved the investment of federal American Rescue Plan Act State Fiscal Recovery Funds for the Community Center Investment Program, which is being administered in coordination with the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery. — Jesseca Timmons, Monadnock Ledger Transcript
A rendering of the new Avenue A Teen Center. (Photo courtesy of Bill Fonda)
Avenue A gets $1 million to expand teen center
Avenue A Teen Center will soon have a new home, as the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) has awarded The Grapevine Family & Community Resource Center with a $1 million forgivable loan through the Community Center Investment Program to support the construction of a permanent teen center.
Avenue A offers programs for teens to develop social and emotional well-being, creative expression, mental wellness, and career and life skills, and the new facility will be an addition to The Grapevine facility at 4 Aiken St. in Antrim.
According to an announcement from The Grapevine, the addition will nearly double Avenue A’s capacity to offer activities for youth – 1,200 to about 2,300 square feet — and allow it to run multiple programs simultaneously, provide accessible outdoor space for learning and recreation, provide safe pedestrian access and parking and improve accessibility with a more open, maneuverable floor plan.
Construction is scheduled to begin in September, and while is has to be done by next August, Grapevine Executive Director Melissa Gallagher said it will likely be completed next spring.
“We have dreamed of an opportunity like this for quite some time,” stated Gallagher. “This award will create a new, safe and accessible environment and true hub of support for teens throughout our region. We are incredibly grateful to the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority for recognizing the need and great potential for this project. We are also benefiting from matching dollar donor support including The John Vance ACCESS Fund as well as anonymous donor contributions.”
Community Center Investment Program resources support the enhancement of current indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as the construction of new facilities, that have proven to be inclusive, open to the public, and foster a culture of health and well-being in the communities they serve. The program has provided a total of $20 million in resources to community centers across New Hampshire. — Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Madison property owner responds to STR suit
Nicholas Gage, owner of an alleged short-term rental property, recently responded to the town’s lawsuit in Carroll County Superior Court. In his answer to the town he asked the court for a jury trial, denied renting short-term rental owner, and called the ordinance invalid.
The lawsuit, filed March 26, states that Gage lives in Merrimack. It concerns Gage’s one-story house at 10 Barden Place in the Eidelweiss Residential District of Madison.
According to the lawsuit filed by town attorney Cordell Johnston, who is based in Henniker, in 2023, the town learned Gage was renting the home for less than 30 days which a violation of the town ordinance.
In 2022, residents at annual town meeting voted to amend the definition of dwelling unit to say that a dwelling unit (such as a single family home) is for “non transient occupancy” meaning occupancy of a structure for any time greater than 30 days.
Gage responded to the lawsuit with his answer on Tuesday, May 28. He checks the box asking for jury trial rather than a bench trial.
Each paragraph of the lawsuit is marked with a number and Gage’s answer to each paragraph is also marked with a number. In paragraph 18 of the lawsuit, Johnston says towns have the ability to regulate the use of buildings under RSA 674:16.
“The defendant… denies the specific authority asserted by the town to regulate who occupies the house and for how long,” said Gage. “This is a single-family house with a residential use.”
In paragraph 17 of the lawsuit, Johnston states that even after the town made its decision that the property can’t be used as a short-term rental, Gage continued to rent.
Gage denies this and says that he doesn’t advertise and use his property as a short-term rental. In another paragraph, Gage says the ordinance doesn’t define short-term rental.
In paragraph 10 of his answer, Gage says, that under the ordinance even he could be barred from using the property for short stays.
“One way to interpret their definition of ‘non-transient’ would be to conclude that the defendant would not be able to use the house for any period less than 30 days without violation of their new ordinance.”
Johnston asks the court to impose penalties of $275 per day from Jan. 12, 2024 until Gage complies with the ordinance to bar him from renting short-term.
Gage in several paragraphs denies violating the ordinance.
Gage lists two affirmative defenses in his answer. Affirmative defenses are reasons Gage believes that the town shouldn’t win.
According to the lawsuit, in June of 2023, the town sent Gage letters that he is in violation of the town ordinance and asked for his compliance. Gage appealed to the zoning board of adjustment and was denied in November. He applied for rehearing in December and was denied that in January. At that point, said Johnston, Gage’s recourse would have been to appeal to the Superior Court or the Housing Appeals Board.
Gage replies that he didn’t appeal to the court or the Housing Appeals Board because his amended motion for rehearing dated Feb. 8 was never answered. — Daymond Steer, Conway Daily Sun
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
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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.
