CONCORD, NH – Rural communities across the state will get an economic development boost after 14 projects were awarded nearly $10.5 million in Northern Border Regional Commission grants announced Thursday for New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and New York.
New Hampshire was awarded grants through two programs, with $8.7 million in Catalyst grants going to projects in 13 communities, and $1.756 million from the Timber for Transit Program awarded to Keene.
The NBRC is a federal-state agency that supports economic development in rural counties in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and New York. New Hampshire counties eligible for grants are Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, and Sullivan counties. Merrimack County will be added in the next round of funding, a result of legislation sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH.
The state’s projects funded in the latest round range from five $1 million awards for substance abuse treatment centers, child care and Mount Washington trails work and more, to $117,750 toward an electrical grid update in Wolfeboro that will help a business in town create 20 jobs.
“Community centered economic development is at the heart of NBRC’s work,” Chris Saunders, NRBC federal co-chair said in a news release Thursday. “What’s consistent about all the projects receiving funds from the commission’s fall competition is that they will create economic opportunity and improve day-to-day life for the people who call this region home.”
That’s true in Keene, which was awarded $1,756,800 in the new Timber for Transit Program, which advances the use of forest products in transportation projects. The Keene award will help pay for design and construction of an outdoor hybrid timber pavilion on Gilbo Avenue, a $2.196 million project. The pavilion will provide a hub for the Cheshire Rail Trail connection to downtown and serve as an economic catalyst for new business opportunities, new jobs, and private investment, according to a NRBC news release.
“The Timber for Transit grant opportunity has so much potential for our region, and I am thrilled that Keene will have this opportunity to showcase that,” City Manager Elizabeth Dragon said. “One of our economic development goals is to activate areas such as Gilbo Avenue and help people take advantage of our recent land use code updates. The new pavilion is a perfect way to launch that effort that may not have otherwise been possible. In addition, the solar power being created will power our entire downtown project and move us one step closer to our energy goals.”
The Keene Timber for Transit project was one of two awarded money under that program. Neversink, New York, was awarded $564,800 for reconstruction of a timber bridge.
The NBRC was created by Congress in 2008 to help alleviate economic distress and encourage private sector job creation in the four states that comprise it, and it must be reauthorized every five years. The bill introduced by Shaheen in February 2023 to reauthorize it and include Merrimack County finally passed the U.S. Senate in December as part of Water and Resources Development Act of 2024.
Projects in Merrimack County can apply for funding beginning with this year’s spring round of the Catalyst Program, which has a Feb. 28 deadline.
The new legislation also broadens NBRC’s ability to award grants to projects and activities to address the opioid epidemic and other substance use disorders affecting. Shaheen, as a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $46 million for the NBRC in the committee-passed fiscal year (FY) 2025 government funding bill — the highest level ever included in annual government funding legislation, according to a news release from her office.
New Hampshire’s Department of Business and Economic Affairs administers the NBRC’s programs for New Hampshire, working with community leaders and organizations throughout the year providing technical assistance to apply for and develop projects, according to a BEA news release.
“Over the past decade, NBRC’s Catalyst program has been a much-needed source of funding for important rural projects in our rural communities,” said BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell said in the release. “Often, an NBRC grant is the last bit of funding needed for these important projects to get off the ground.”
New Hampshire awards through the Catalyst program were:
- $1 million for Archways, Tilton, toward the addition of a second floor the Archways’ building, which will double capacity on substance use disorder treatment and create two workforce pipelines for recovery coaching and family support specialists, two sectors with significant demand for jobs.
- $1 million for Families Flourish Northeast, Lebanon, toward construction of a 12-unit residential substance use disorder treatment facility for women with children, in collaboration with Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine and other local educational institutions. Up to 20 jobs will be created.
- $1 million for Mt. Washington Valley Trails Association, Conway, toward construction of accessible trails linking Cranmore Mountain Resort to Intervale Scenic Overlook, completing a network of trails stretching from North Conway’s downtown to the overlook, integrating recreation and tourism assets onto a single path.
- $1 million for Gorham Community Learning Center, toward the renovation of a bank building into a childcare center, doubling the center’s capacity for childcare, creating five positions, and filling a critical need in the North Country.
- $1 million for the town of Whitefield, toward water infrastructure improvements benefiting about 600 residents and downtown businesses, including medical offices and senior care facilities.
- $827, 870 for Official Library Friends, Whitefield, toward completion of the library’s Community and Rural Entrepreneurial Center, which features hybrid space for large and small group meetings, a business center, a staffed information hub, and other improvements to meet demand of new library users, especially home-based and remote workers.
- $727,456 for Cornish Community Initiative, toward building renovation into a community resource hub, including maker space, afterschool programming, Work Ready NH, and other local resources.
- $500,000 for Winchester Revolving Loan Fund, toward initiating a revolving loan fund to support business recruitment, retention, and development and improving stability of businesses receiving loans.
- $500,000 for Franconia Soaring Center, toward completion of work on the Soaring Foundation’s training center at the Franconia Airport, including classrooms, rooms for seasonal workers and itinerant pilots, and glider flight simulators.
- $476,309 for Colonial Theatre, Keene, toward updated marketing research, development, and advertising campaign for the performing arts center: market research will be shared to benefit area businesses.
- $300,000 for Mid-State Health Center, Plymouth, toward the renovation of two suites at the Boulder Point facility, including family-friendly exam rooms, group education spaces, and family support services, as well as a redesign of existing clinic space.
- $265,684 for YMCA Alliance of Northern New England, toward a childcare workforce recruitment campaign in Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, and Sullivan Counties, which should result in a 50% increase to staffing in these counties.
- $117, 750 for the town of Wolfeboro, toward an electrical grid upgrade to public infrastructure, enabling PSI Molded Plastics to add four injection molding machines and create up to 20 new jobs.