From the Marketplace

Prudential Verani adds Cote to staff

Paul Cote has joined Prudential Verani Realty’s Londonderry office as a new agent.

“Prudential Verani welcomes Paul to our Londonderry team of real estate professionals,” said Margherita Verani, president of the firm. “He brings experience and enthusiasm to succeed with us and will benefit our growing company and our clients.”

Cote previously worked at Hanover Insurance as a network administrator serving hundreds of customers in Maine and New Hampshire.

Wechsler names Leoni managing director

Kirk B. Leoni has been named managing director of the certified public accounting firm of Nathan Wechsler & Company, a full-service accounting and tax firm serving clients throughout New England with over 25 professionals and offices in Concord and Laconia.

In his new role, Leoni will lead the Nathan Wechsler team of professionals to bring high-quality professional services to clients, while expanding the client base and range of services offered.

Leoni, who joined Nathan Wechsler in 1985 and became a shareholder/director in 1989, is a member of the board of trustees and past chair of New Hampshire Public Radio and also serves as a trustee of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, the Southport Junior Sailing Foundation and the Concord Community Music School. He also is former chair of the executive committee of New England Peer Review Inc., which is responsible for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ quality review monitoring programs for CPA firms in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island.

Bruss Construction selected for bank

Bruss Construction Inc. of Bradford has begun work on Lake Sunapee Bank’s new Peterborough branch.

The Main Street space also will include the offices of Charter Trust.

The building is the third Lake Sunapee branch built by Bruss, which also has renovated several other bank branches around the state.

A winter completion is planned.

North Branch adds to high school

Despite one of the wettest summers in years, North Branch Construction Inc. of Henniker completed the first phase of construction on the second floor addition at Kearsarge Regional High School in North Sutton.

The first phase included removing the roof of the existing building and adding 18,300 square feet of additional space above. Administrative offices in the existing facility were vacated for the summer, allowing the addition to be constructed above them.

With the first phase complete, classes began on schedule in September.

The project, approved by voters in March, began as soon as classes ended in June. The remainder of construction on the addition, which includes a new elevator, classrooms, computer lab and science lab, will be completed before year’s end.

Sheerr McCrystal Palson Architecture Inc. of New London designed the project.

Pella Windows grace landmark N.H. church

Pella Windows and Doors of New Hampshire and Maine recently provided more than 24 windows to help renovate the celebrated 100-year-old Jackson Community Church in Jackson.

Designed by Tom Wilson Architects of Jackson and Boston, Mass., and constructed by Couture Construction Corp. of Berlin, the church’s renovations include a full two-story addition and safety upgrades.

The addition was built on the same footprint as the old fellowship hall, which was demolished for the project. Great effort went into melding the new and the old to achieve a seamless facade. Gabled dormers project from steep roofs, paying homage to the historic details of the original church. An arched gable over the exit stairs recalls the lines of the “cottage style” architecture typical of the era.

All windows for the project are Pella’s ProLine Series with white aluminum clad exterior and Insulshield Low E insulating glass, giving the church superior performance in hot and cold weather. The window sashes boast Pella’s Integral Light Technology and recreate the charm of true divided light, giving them a traditional New England look while adding an important dimension of energy efficiency and performance.

Part of the challenge of renovating a historical church is maintaining the architectural details and flavor of the original and to “marry “ the new addition and the old building into a unified, attractive structure.

On the subject of marriage, Claude Pigeon, project manager for Couture Construction, said one project management challenge was the church’s booked summer wedding schedule.

“The church is famous., and many couples want to be married there. And since the church remained open throughout construction, we had to exercise extra safety measures.”

Pigeon described a second project management challenge. “Originally, we had planned to locate Port-o-Potties onsite during the construction phase. But, of course, that solution doesn’t work for brides in dresses with long trains! Needless to say, we figured out a plan to keep the bathroom open.”

The church renovation is expected to be fully completed by the end of September.