Berlin, North Country Growers move forward with financial agreement

A schematic look of the layout for the greenhouses of North Country Growers LLC, under construction off East Milan Road in Berlin.

The Berlin city council Dec. 18 approved a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with North Country Growers LLC, a business plan that has steadily taken eight years to shape and is expected to bring about 300 year-round jobs to the area.

The site, continuing its construction off East Milan Road, will feature freshly grown and packed for commercial sale in the Northeast varieties of lettuce, salad greens and tomatoes, to start.

North Country Growers LLC is under the business umbrella of American Ag Energy, Inc., in Cambridge, Mass.

“North Country Growers is an exciting new employer in the area,” Mayor Paul Grenier said.

The PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) in the opening years of the business is a bit lean and will increase in time, he said.

A copy of the PILOT agreement shows the payment to the city due Dec. 31 will be $25,000, with additional $25,000 payments due July 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024. The three payments will be a “preliminary payment during construction — regardless of completion of the first of the two 10-acre greenhouses,” the copy shows.

Marguerite A. Piret, CEO of American Ag Energy signed the agreement on behalf of the company; City Manager Phillip L. Warren Jr. signed the PILOT for the city. The on-site “combined heat and power agricultural facility” will allow for growth of produce despite the cold or heat.

Payments rise to $100,000 on July 1, 2025, with “payment based on two 10-acre greenhouses regardless of completion; and payment increase to $875,000/year shall occur when the second 20-acres of greenhouse is constructed or by Tax Year 2035, whichever is sooner.” The payments for tax years 2035-2043 jump to $437,500 and are based on up to 40 acres of greenhouses.

The PILOT spells out avenues of the agreement, including enforcement, operating conditions and obligation to modify.

This “creates a public-private partnership to the city,” said Grenier, “and precludes us from hiring special property appraisers. I believe it’s in the public interest to support this.”

The site is tied into the city’s water and sewer for domestic use, not industrial use, he said.

Kent Street resident and councilor-elect Steve Korzen spoke in support of the project and PILOT agreement during public comment.

“It’s exciting to see what’s happening,” he said,”helping the city in the long run.”

Korzen spoke of future gains to the city from prior council work.

Councilor Peter Higbee spoke of the “nine or 10 purchase and sale agreements” that various councilors since 2015 had discussed with North Country Growers leaders.

“It takes time to get good things to happen,” Higbee said.

In other council action on Dec. 18, the board:

• Set the polling hours for the Jan. 23, 2024, presidential primary from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting locations remain at three sites for the primary: Precinct 1, Recreation Center, First Avenue entrance; Precincts 2 and 3, St. Anne Hall, School Street; and Precinct 4, Community Bible Church, Sullivan Street.
• Approved an application to be sent to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission for North of the Notch Brewing Company LLC. Shiloh Remillard is a member of the limited liability company. The license will be for a nano brewery restaurant/retail sampler, located at 2227 Riverside Drive in Berlin.
• Denied an application by New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) for 2023 tax-exempt status because the non-profit entity had missed its filing deadline. A small building and tower on Enman Hill Road help NHPR in its statewide broadcast reach. April 15 was the deadline; the application was dated Nov. 9 and received by the city on Nov. 13, as noted by a stamped date on its application of a list of real estate for which an exemption is claimed.

NHPR appealed the city’s decision to city leaders, particularly City Manager Phillip L. Warren Jr. Monica Hurley, of Corcoran Consulting Associates, recommended the city deny NHPR’s request. All city councilors voted against the reconsideration except for Councilor Mark Eastman who abstained from voting. NHPR may re-apply for exempt status no later than April 15, 2024, a letter from Hurley to Warren notes.

• Agreed by a majority vote 4-2 to reduce by 50% the sewer bill of a New Mexico-based man who inherited a home from his late uncle, a Berlin resident. The house has since been sold. Water pipes froze and burst after the uncle’s death. Discussion of where the water went, meaning was it absorbed by the city’s municipal sewer system, and when a permit to repair the premises was obtained factored into the council’s work session debate.

Matthew Cone, the man who inherited the home, sought to have the full $3,620 bill forgiven. In the end, on a second motion, the council reduced the bill to $1,810. Voting in support of the $1,810 vote were Higbee, Roland Theberge, Brian Valerino, Peter Morency and the mayor. Voting against the abatement at the reduced amount were Robert Theberge and Mark Eastman.

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