US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
Grantee
Purpose
Amount
Coos County Family Health Services
To relocate and expand Coos County Family Health Services’ existing North Country dental clinic to a location in downtown Berlin. This new construction is the result of increased demand from the expansion of the adult Medicaid dental benefits in New Hampshire in 2023. The facility will be approximately 3,000 square feet, fully handicapped accessible, equipped for the work of visiting dental surgeons or other specialists, and feature space for student training of dental professionals.
$222,437
HealthFirst Family Care Center
To renovate a recently acquired 2200 sq ft neighboring building, and connect it to their 7500 sq ft existing facility. This expansion is motivated by the 200 new patient requests per month that HealthFirst received in 2024. In the same year, the Franklin location served 3,054 patients with 7,961 visits. Of these patients, 1,679 were low-income. The expansion will add 5-10 permanent new full-time positions.
$1,000,000
Town of Boscawen – Feasibility Study
The Town of Boscawen is pursuing funds from the NH Park’s Land & Water Conservation Fund, for which they have received preliminary approval. This feasibility project will produce an engineered site plan, surveying, architectural services, and meet other technical requirements for the grant. Through the full funding from NHDP, the project will culminate in a 50×30′ timber framed outdoor picnic pavilion, a Merrimack River overlook, new restroom facilities, major redesign and reconstruction of the park access road, additional parking, and full ADA accessibility to existing and new facilities.
$39,000
Franconia Children’s Center
Franconia Children’s Center will acquire the building they have rented for over a decade and renovate that building to bring it up to current standards. This will allow them to add 30 new childcare slots. They are one of four centers within a 30-mile radius that accepts children under the age of three. Their service area includes 73 employers. Without acquisition, the trust that owns the building will sell the property and displace the childcare center, preserving an important childcare resource in the Franconia area.
$428,629.72
Town of Newport- Unity Road Waterlines
The Town of Newport will continue a Phase 2 replacement of water lines on Unity Road, with the final goal of replacing nearly 4000 feet of line. Much of the existing system is over 100 years old, with some portions having been replaced in the 1960s. This water line is the sole water distribution system connecting the Gilman Pond and Pollards Mill sources to the downtown. It serves over 1600 homes and businesses, including Sturm Ruger, a local employer that employees 1200 people in the region.
$512,000
New Hampshire Boat Museum
The NH Boat Museum will renovate their 6,500 sq ft main floor, to include community educational and meeting spaces, flexible exhibition spaces, offices, and conference areas. This is a Phase 2 renovation, building on a successful Phase 1 renovation in 2024 that increased their number of visitors, group tours, and venue events by 50%. The renovation will allow the museum to accept new community space uses, for which they presently do not have capacity. In addition to community meeting space, the renovation would allow for year-round operation of the museum. The facility is located in Moultonborough’s West Village Overlay District, slated for further economic and housing development.
$250,000
Littleton Community Center
Littleton Community Center will renovate the carriage house adjacent to their main house behind Main St in Littleton. This project will revitalize the carriage house, repairing the roof and some structural issues, as well as work on the grounds and the installation of energy efficient HVAC, gutters, fire/security systems, and internet/ AV utilities. This will enable the community center to host large events of between 50-100 people.
$1,000,000
Town of Bow – Bow Mills Redevelopment Feasibility Project
This project would determine the feasibility of a municipal water line extension, to activate 175 acres of developable land in the South St/Exit 1 area of Bow. Funds will support public engagement processes to better understand community priorities around the types of development planned. This project seeks to capitalize on the NH DOT I-89 Exit 1 redesign and reconstruction, which would construct direct driveway access to the development area from the exit ramp.
$52,265
Franklin Pierce University
Franklin Pierce University will expand their wastewater treatment facilities in light of new environmental regulations, adding a third Rapid Infiltration Basin. This will increase their capacity for future occupancy and usage. Franklin Pierce currently enrolls around 1000 undergraduate students annually, 250 of whom are receiving training for healthcare roles in nursing, as physicians’ assistants, and in physical therapy.
$960,000
Town of Groton – Salt and Sand Sheds
The Town of Groton will construct salt and sand sheds on the property of their recently USDA funded Public Works Building. The Public Works Building was originally slated to include these sheds, but budget constraints resulted in the project being phased, to pursue additional funding. Relocation of their sheds and public works building became necessary following increased flooding in their current location.
$125,000
Town of Plymouth – Low Service Zone Tank Replacement
The Town of Plymouth will replace one of two large water tanks serving numerous businesses, various public service providers, a significant portion of Plymouth State University’s campus, and most shops and restaurants along Main St. The 2.5-million-gallon concrete storage tank receives water pulled up by a well pumping facility. It was constructed in 1972 and relined in 2009, but a 2015 assessment demonstrated significant deterioration, and a 2023 assessment showed critical deterioration.
$1,000,000
Partnership for Public Health
The Partnership for Public Health will renovate their existing community public health building in Laconia to make it ADA-compliant, install new electrical & HVAC systems and enhance operational security through both physical security systems and a generator. This renovation will ultimately reduce operational costs, increase their capacity, and improve emergency response capabilities for the emergency preparedness group hosted by PPH. In addition, PPH offers health education, drug use prevention, chronic disease management, and resource navigation programs.
$399,050
Newport Chamber of Commerce
The Newport Chamber of Commerce will renovate their historic railroad station, built in 1897, into a Welcome Center and home for the Chamber of Commerce, which presently has no dedicated space in the town. The railroad station is located just behind the center of Newport’s Main Street. The renovation will include a rental space to support the costs of maintaining the building, and as a community resource and meeting space. The project will bridge the Town’s Main Street to other local amenities, such as the Community Center, Meadow Park, Community Garden, Dog Park, and the Newport-Claremont rail trail.
$500,000
Main Roof Replacement – John Hay Estate at the Fells
The Fells nonprofit will replace the roof of the Main House at the John Hay Estate, built in 1891. The roof was last replaced in the early 1990s. This project would shingle the roof in historical wood shingles and fix sections of copper roofing. The Estate hosts arts events, educational programs, weddings and ceremonies, and family festivals. Open to the public year-round, the estate has around 10,000 visitors each year. In addition to the property being open for nature hikes, they host around 30 classes, workshops and other programs annually, specializing in ecology, nature, horticulture, history, and art.
$127,200