CONCORD, NH – Projects in seven New Hampshire counties that will boost economic development are sharing more than $7.3 million in grant funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission.
The 15 grant awards, announced Monday, are part of $53.9 million from the agency’s Catalyst and Timber for Transit funds distributed across New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and New York. They add to $10.5 million in NBRC grants announced for the state in January.
In all, 69 projects in the four states were awarded $46.3 million in Catalyst grants and $7.6 million in Timber for Transit grants. Projects awarded money from the Catalyst program range from those that expand health care, child care, improve wastewater treatment, preservice historic buildings and more. Replacement of a vital bridge in Sunapee using new timber products was awarded a Timber for Transit grant, the only non-Maine project to get money in the spring round.
“The slate of awards approved by the commission represent a generational investment in local economies across Northern New England and New York,” Chris Saunders, NBRC federal co-chair said in a Monday news release. “This public investment in infrastructure will directly lead to the creation of new jobs and businesses, housing construction and improved economic opportunity and vitality in rural communities.”
The NBRC, a federal-state agency created by Congress, provides money to boost economic development in the four states. The Catalyst Program supports initiatives that modernize and expand access to infrastructure, as well as non-infrastructure projects that support job creation, health and child care, recreation, historic preservation and other economic development.
The Timber for Transit Program supports the use of wood-based materials in transportation and transportation infrastructure.
New Hampshire counties eligible for grants are Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Merrimack, and Sullivan. It is the first round that Merrimack County has been eligible for grants, and four projects in that county were awarded funding, in Boscawen, Bow, Franklin and Newbury.
The money makes a difference where it’s needed most, recipients said.
“This important award from the Northern Border Regional Commission will support the expansion of dental services in the North Country,” said Ken Gordon, chief executive officer of Coös County Family Health Services, which was awarded $222,437 to expand dental services in the state’s most northern county. “Not only will local residents have expanded access to dental care, but the award will create the infrastructure needed to train a new generation of dentists and other oral health professionals.”
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, said the NBRC is a “critical partner in our efforts to ensure New Hampshire’s rural communities get their fair share of federal resources.”
Shaheen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pushed legislation last year that reauthorized the commission for another five years. The legislation was approved in December as part of the Water and Resources Development Act of 2024.
“I’m glad to see more federal funding heading to projects that will help local economies thrive, support health care facilities, upgrade critical infrastructure, increase access to affordable child care and more,” Shaheen said in a joint news release announcing the grant awards with the rest of the state’s congressional delegation Monday.
New Hampshire’s Catalyst grants ranged from $1 million to $39,000.
New Hampshire projects that were awarded Catalyst grants, which are administered by the state Department of Business and Economic Affairs, are:
- HealthFirst Family Care Center, Franklin, $1 million to renovate and connect a newly acquired 2,200-square-foot building to its existing 7,500-square-foot center, expanding access health services and creating up to 10 full-time jobs.
- Littleton Community Center, $1 million to renovate and update the historic carriage house, creating a 100- person event space to serve this growing community.
- Town of Plymouth, $1 million to replace a 50-year-old 2.5-million-gallon water tank, ensuring safe reliable service to Main Street businesses and much of Plymouth State University.
- Franklin Pierce University, Rindge, $960,000 to expand the Rindge wastewater treatment facilities to meet new environmental regulations and increase capacity.
- Town of Newport, $512,000 to continue replacement of the century-old water lines on Unity Road that support more than1,600 homes and businesses, including Sturm Ruger, which employs more than 1,200.
- Newport Chamber of Commerce, $500,000 to renovate the 1897 railroad station into a welcome center and home for the chamber, linking the town’s Main Street to other recreational assets, including the Community Center, Meadow Park, Community Garden, Dog Park, and the Newport-Claremont rail trail.
- Franconia Children’s Center, $428,630, for acquisition and renovation of its long-time rented building, adding 30 needed child care slots for the 73 employers that are within 30 miles of the center.
- Partnership for Public Health, Laconia, $399,000 to renovate and modernize the community public health building, reducing operational costs and increasing capacity for health education, drug use prevention, chronic disease management, and resource navigation programs.
- New Hampshire Boat Museum, Moultonborough, $250,000 to renovate the museum’s 6,500-square-foot main floor, enabling year-round operation and new community space.
- Coos County Family Health Services, Berlin, $222,437 to relocate and expand its dental clinic into new construction totaling 3,000 square feet, including training space for future dental professionals.
- John Hay Estate at the Fells, Newbury, $127,200 for roof replacement at the historic home of Hay, America’s ambassador to Great Britain and Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
- Town of Groton, $125,000 to build new salt and sand sheds on higher ground, protecting road and maintenance operations from flooding.
- Town of Bow, $52,265 for a feasibility study of the Bow Mills redevelopment to extend the water service to 175 acres in the South Street area, unlocking development potential tied to the Interstate 89 corridor.
- Town of Boscawen, $39,000 for a feasibility study into construction of a 50-by-30-foot outdoor pavilion, a Merrimack River overlook, new restroom facilities, and park access road improvements.
The town of Sunapee was awarded $740,000 from the Timber for Transit fund, which will be used to help pay for part of the $1.8 million Sargent Road Bridge replacement with a sustainable timber structure.
“This project will enhance safety, connectivity, and economic activity by utilizing a longitudinal glued-laminated timber deck and bridge rail, aligning with the Timber for Transit Program’s goals,” NBRC said in a news release. The funding will support final engineering design, environmental review, easement acquisition, and construction, “ensuring a durable infrastructure solution that benefits local residents, businesses, and emergency services while promoting the use of timber in transportation applications.”
Four projects in Maine shared $6.9 million in T4T funding in the spring round.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte said that the grants will help the state’s rural areas “continue to create jobs, strengthen infrastructure, and improve the vitality of towns and the people who live there.
“This funding will help build a stronger future for our rural communities and all of New Hampshire,” Ayotte said.
BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell said, “Every year, these crucial investments result in real change, enhancing infrastructure, supporting small businesses and communities, and elevating the overall quality of life in the state.”
The fall round of applications opens in August.