People and Property: Real Estate and Construction News From Around NH

Elliot Hospital completes Emergency Department expansion

Robert Singer cuts the ribbon to mark the opening of Elliot Hospital’s newly expanded and renovated Emergency Department in a ceremony held June 6. The 22,000-square-foot multi-phase construction project began in June 2021 and officially opens to the community on June 13. The new center is being named the Irving and Bernice Singer Emergency Department to honor the Singer family for their devotion to the greater Manchester area and improving the lives of others. The project adds 28 new private exam rooms for a total of 32 private exam rooms, increasing privacy for a more comfortable, healing environment for patients

Procon installs large rooftop solar array at Hookset HQ

Design and construction company Procon has completed a 139-kilowatt solar array atop its headquarters in Hooksett, an array will generate an estimated 154,377-kilowatt hours of renewable energy each year. The 289-panel project was installed by ReVision Energy, which joined Procon at a June 2 celebration ceremony. Among those taking part were Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, Hooksett Police Chief Justin Sargent, Josh Reap, CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors NH/VT, as well as leadership teams from both Procon and ReVision.

Procon, meanwhile, has also announced expansion of its leadership team, with the promotion of Michael Yeatman and James Grant. Michael Yeatman is Procon’s vice president of construction and has 12 years of service at the company, with experience in field and project management of large commercial construction projects. Grant is vice president of construction and is entering his second year with the company.

They join managing directors John Stebbins and Jennifer Stebbins Thomas and co-Presidents James Loft and Lance Bennett on the leadership team.

Jewett to build Porsche dealership in Connecticut

Jewett Construction of Raymond, has begun is latest project in a partnership Hoffman Auto Group of East Hartford, Conn. – construction of a new Porsche dealership in East Hartford. The 31,000-square-feet facility will be one of four locations in the U.S. featuring Porsche’s new Generation 5 design. The building will be LEED certified, Jewett said.

B2W Software expands capabilities of platform

B2W Software, a Portsmouth-based provider of heavy construction management software, has added new alerts and notifications capabilities in the current release of its B2W Platform.

The company said the new features allow contractors to communicate automatically across the office, field and shop for further efficiency in resource scheduling, field performance tracking, and equipment maintenance workflows.

“Things change constantly in construction, and immediate alerts and notifications are emerging as important options for getting information into the hands of people that need it, when they need it,” according to Bob Brown, general manager of B2W.

The B2W Platform includes applications to manage estimating, resource scheduling and dispatching, performance tracking, equipment maintenance and electronic forms and reporting.

North Branch’s Gilbert earns LEED Green Associate certification

Susane Gilbert, a project manager with North Branch Construction, Concord, has received the LEED Green Associate credential from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED Green Associates are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and implement green building practices within the workplace and community.

Manchester unveils updated Granite State pedestrian Bridge designs

The city of Manchester has released new and improved designs for the proposed Granite Street pedestrian bridge, a component of the transportation infrastructure improvement project called RAISE Manchester: Connecting Communities.

Officials said the new design is a response to input from residents, businesses and community groups, to the original design presented at a December 2022 public meeting.

The bridge – designed to resemble the former Notre Dame Bridge – will be located east of the Commercial Street and Granite Street intersection, allowing Fisher Cats fans a safe alternative to crossing via crosswalk to see a ball game at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, or for employees and students to make their way across Granite Street safely during rush hours, they said. The new design meets ADA accessibility standards and features longer, more gently sloping ramps eliminating the sharp turns in the original design.

Cyclists will have options to use the new bridge or to cross at street level using travel lanes. The on-street bicycle movement will also be facilitated by a new video detection system that is under construction as part of the city’s Granite Street adaptive signals project at this intersection.

Milton Rents acquires New York company

Plaistow-based Milton Rents has completed the acquisition of The Duke Company, an equipment rental and construction supply firm headquartered in Henrietta, N.Y., near Rochester.

Milton Rents, which has nine locations across New England, completed the purchase on May 30, the Rochester Business Journal reported.

The Duke Company was founded in 2012 by David Terry, who left the corporate side of franchised equipment rentals to start his own firm. Along with the site in Henrietta, the firm has locations in Ithaca, Dansville and Auburn in New York.

Milton Rents began as a three-outlet operation and 25 employees in 2018. Since then, it has grown to over 100 employees.

Kim Twitchell

NBT fills new affordable housing leadership position

NBT Bank has announced that its Maine regional president, Kimberly Twitchell, has been promoted to a new bank-wide leadership position as senior director of affordable housing.

“Affordable housing is a critical need for the communities we serve across NBT’s seven-state footprint,” said President and CEO John H. Watt Jr. He said Twitchell “possesses deep experience in this area as both a banker and a leader working with affordable housing nonprofits” and has “considerable knowledge and skills to our affordable housing initiatives and to continue to enhance our positive impact on the communities we serve.”

In June 2022, Twitchell was a leader in the launch of the NBT CEI-Boulos Impact Fund, a $10 million real estate equity investment fund with NBT Bank as the sole investor. The Impact Fund is designed to support individuals and communities with low and moderate-income through investments in high-impact, community-supported commercial real estate projects.

Twitchell, who has more than 30 years of experience in banking,

joined NBT in 2014 as regional commercial banking manager and was promoted to Maine Regional President in 2015.

Hubbard joins H.L. Turner Group

Architectural and engineering company The H.L. Turner Group Inc., Concord, has hired Karla Hubbard as administrative assistant. She has over 30 years of experience in administration and “brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, and we are confident that she will be a valuable asset to our company,” said CEO Heidi Nadeau.

Exec Council approves longer lease for rest areas developer

The Executive Council has extended Granite State Hospitality’s lease by five years for its operation of the two Welcome Centers on Interstate 93 in Hooksett. The original lease was for 35 years, and the extension allows the company to operate the rest areas through June 2053.

Granite State Hospitality does business as the Common Man Hooksett said it sought the extension to get better terms on private financing for a planned expansion.

The state will get an estimated $400,000 more for rent a year from the expansion, NH Department of Transportation Commissioner Bill Cass said.

Portsmouth picks top site workforce housing

Portsmouth’s Land Use Committee has recommended that the property at 35 Sherburne Road — the current home of the Lister Academy — is the best of four city-owned sites to develop for workforce housing, the Portsmouth Herald reported.

The Lister Academy, the city’s alternative high school is scheduled to move to the city-owned Community Campus facility from the Sherburne road location, which was for years an elementary school.

An effort earlier this year by city and Portsmouth Housing Authority officials to fast-track a workforce housing project at the Sherburne Road site was delayed after nearby Pannaway Manor residents — most of whom appeared to be opposed to the plan — packed a city meeting.