By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – The state is undertaking a massive, $50.7 million modernization project of its fish hatchery at New Hampton to help clean up the water from fish waste, improve and create efficiencies and protect the trout from predators like otters, osprey and eagles.
Gov. Chris Sununu said the project will lead to “big fat fish” for anglers and “angry otters” who will no longer be able to dine at the current open air fishways.
The outgoing Republican governor and the five-member Executive Council received a presentation on the project at Fish and Game Headquarters in Concord Wednesday during their breakfast meeting before voting to approve it as part of the remaining federal funds through the American Rescue Protection Act.
It also committed more than $30 million on a replacement for the Sununu Youth Services Center at Hampstead Hospital, more than $30 million in funds for a second phase of construction for the Exit 4A project on Interstate 93 in Derry/Londonderry, and more than $16 million for a new E-9-1-1 building in Laconia adjacent to the former Laconia State School.
At its meeting, which followed at the State House, the governor and council also honored the State Police SWAT Team and confirmed a new tourism director.
At the breakfast meeting, they heard from the Secretary of State that the state could reach 1 million registered voters on the books after the Nov. 5 election and Sununu said he expects a very good voter turnout next Tuesday.
YDC FACILITY AT HAMPSTEAD HOSPITAL FUNDS APPROVED
The council approved a $32.3 million contract with Hutter Construction Corp. of New Ipswich for the new Youth Development facility at Hampstead Hospital in Hampstead for a maximum of 18 youths and in a separate contract also reallocated another $5 million in ARPA funds to add to the project. It has undergone architectural modifications and revisions this summer to better accommodate that population.
It is far more than the $21.6 million the legislature allocated for the project in 2023 as part of House Bill 49.
The plan is to replace the 144-bed, 50,000 square foot Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester which must be closed by legislative decision. That facility was based on an outmoded corrections model, according to the contract request by Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver. The new, 36,000 square foot facility will be for a population of likely 12 youths and adjacent to but on the same campus as the 100-acre Hampstead Hospital for youths which the state recently acquired and this project is using ARPA funds as well.
HATCHERY UPGRADE
New Hampshire has six hatcheries scattered about the state which produce over one million fish each year for stocking lakes, ponds and rivers to support the state’s more than 228,000 licensed anglers.
The other facilities are located in Berlin, Milford, New Durham, Twin Mountain and Warren.
The contract management work for the project is among the last of the big projects left to be funded from the almost $1 billion post-COVID 19 federal recovery program, said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the state Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
The project is at 60 percent design currently and the contract passed Wednesday at the council meeting will bring the engineers and builders together to work to completion and perhaps to save money and time on the project.
Dianne Timmins, inland fisheries division chief for Fish and Game, said selecting the project is a “huge opportunity for us” and that the state could be seen as a national model in modernization of hatcheries.
While Nashua is the oldest hatchery still in operation, the New Hampton hatchery was built in 1919 and predates current Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The New Durham Powder Mill hatchery which could not meet federal water quality standards without spending more than $60 million be in terms of its phosphorus load, made this a qualified project for the ARPA funds and the new focus for modernizing the state’s hatcheries.
Phosphorus is a major feeder of cyanobacteria in the state which has become a noted problem this past summer. Blue green algae, which has been found on Lake Winnipesaukee and other water bodies, can cause toxic blooms which sicken people, kill dogs and can reduce property values and keep people out of the water.
New Hampshire needs to have stocking hatcheries given the fact that granite and granitic soils do not allow for good growth of fish, Timmins said. The hatcheries and the food given allow for that growth.
She said a 2022 study showed 129,000 licenses sold led to $1.4 billion in economic benefit to the state.
About 72,000 pounds of fish are grown from eggs at New Hampton each year and are stocked statewide, Timmins said. It is geographically in the center of the state and an important location for stocking trucks which move out in all directions from there.
Brook and brown trout are produced at New Hampton.
During construction, production will be put on hold though other hatcheries will be used and they will conserve the eggs. There will be a bit of a reduction in production during construction through October 2026.
The new facility will allow for lighting which will trick the fish into thinking it is a different time of year to grow faster.
Filtration is an important component of the project and water will need to be treated and tested, the council was told. The waste will be collected and used as fertilizer rather than going into the river helping improve water quality, Timmins said after the meeting.
A new intermediate fish growth building will be built on the state property to allow for oxygen to be released into the water in each of the 25-foot tanks which would be something new and this will maximize growth, Timmins said.
The current system at New Hampton is a flow-through and this proposal is for a re-use of water from Dickerman Pond with 95 percent re-use. Currently the flow goes from that brook into the Pemigewasset River.
Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, D-Concord, asked whether the public will still be able to visit the hatchery upon completion.
They may not be able to go into the younger fish area because of biosecurity but they will be able to see the larger fish, she was told.
Some predators from the air and ground, including otters, osprey and eagles have taken as many as 40 percent of the fish at times in the current outdoor operations, said Scott Mason, executive director of Fish and Game.
This will be in a closed building structure to protect the fish from being taken. Current netting helps but is not 100 percent.
He said all hatchery facilities will remain open though there may be a bit of reduction in production during construction.
Staff will have to learn how to run the facility and get to maximum production and then after that, the decision will be made on whether to cut back or add to production, Timmins said. One issue going forward may be production of salmon which Mason said he feels is an opportunity.
And while all of the hatcheries need updating, Mason said he would favor the next location to be one in the north country.
Charlie Arlinghaus, commissioner of Administrative Services, said this is a new way of construction that the state does not usually do and is constrained by the fact that the project cannot go over the allocated amount.
Sununu said the project is “very exciting” and will lead to “big fat fish and angry otters.”
THE ARPA SUCCESS STORY WILL LEAD TO LONG-TERM COST EFFICIENCIES, GOVERNOR SAID
Speaking to the press after the meeting, Sununu reflected on what the state has spent with its one-time ARPA money.
He said it was used wisely, and it will lead to cost efficiencies down the road, more automation and healthier outcomes for citizens and workers.
He gave example cases of the hatchery and the funding for the new YDC at Hampstead Hospital, and anticipated and staggering costs of $500 million for a new men’s prison in Concord which was not part of ARPA.
But he said the state is in the end going to win out rather than keeping up outdated, outmoded facilities going.
He started with the example of the $50 million overhaul at New Hampton fish hatchery approved moments before he spoke.
“They are going to get more fish, they are going to get more pounds out per fish. It’s going to be healthier, it’s going to be more environmentally sound, it is going to be more automated, it is going to have more safety features. It is going to have more efficiency. That is going to reduce costs drastically on that system,” Sununu said.
The same for the new YDC, although a smaller facility. But all the new safety and technology that goes into that system to not just provide services but to monitor individuals. That takes a lot of the day to day burden off folks trying to manage antiquated systems.
“The prison, we’ve talked about this before, coming down the road at some point, whether it is next year or the year after, the state is going to have to borrow somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million. That alone though, we’ll be able to build a state-of-art facility, again, with more technology, better equipment, that allows more automation if you will and less of the hands-on services required for such an antiquated facility that we have in a healthier, safer environment. Just think of the amount of money we put into the prison right now just to fix…a lot of that all gets handled with all new state-of-the-art facilities, technologies, building materials that are much more sustainable for the future. That was all one-time money.
“I think it was spent really really well for the most part here in New Hampshire on one-time projects that theoretically could reduce costs in the long run,” Sununu said.
SWAT TEAM HONORED
At the meeting which was held for the first time in months back in the Executive Council chambers at the State House, Sununu offered a commendation to the New Hampshire State Police SWAT Team. There are now 25 members of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team and 22 were present. The group is specially trained to de-escalate and deal with crisis situations and operate armored vehicles.
CRUZ CONFIRMED
Michelle Cruz, who has been head of the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, was confirmed as the new director of tourism.
PREDICTIONS FOR OVER 1 MILLION REGISTERED VOTERS
Secretary of State Dave Scanlan is predicting that the state will go over 1 million registered voters for the first time after the election next Tuesday.
Speaking to the governor and Executive Council at their breakfast meeting Wednesday, Scanlan said he will likely provide turnout predictions on Thursday but expects the numbers to be quite high based on a number of factors, including the high number of requests for absentee ballots.
There will be new ballot counting devices used in a couple dozen towns and one city, he said. They were used in the primary successfully, he said.
“We are very aware of the concerns about cybersecurity,” Scanlan said, and have taken aggressive steps to review and prepare for any issues.
He stressed there is no connection to the internet and the ballots. He said in terms of polling place security and physical threats, his office is working closely with federal and state agents to go over scenarios and possible responses.
The plan is to ask for a police officer to be present at each polling place, Scanlan said and over 60 field agents from the Attorney General’s Office are deployed on election day.
“We are concerned about the degree of misinformation and AI generated robocalls,” including one which occurred just prior to the state primary which was addressed in the criminal courts.
After the election is over, Scanlan said his office’s work really starts. He said they will certify the returns and handle what he thinks will be a lot of recounts for close elections.
Sununu said at a press conference following the meeting that he thinks there will be a huge turnout Nov. 5. He suggested those who want to register be prepared for a “process” that may take a bit of time. But he said a good result would be a high turnout.
There were a lot of new registrants on the Republican side earlier in the year when there was no real primary on the Democratic side.
FUNDING FOR NEW 9-1-1 HEADQUARTERS
About $16.7 million was approved for a new E-9-1-1 center in Laconia on land that is off Meredith Center Road near the former Laconia State School.
The state had six bidders on the project.
As for the state spending down the almost $1 billion from ARPA, the state is there and “we are literally out of time,” said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
Warmington asked about air conditioning at the State Prison and whether ARPA considered cooling that system. Helen Hanks, commissioner of Corrections, said it is time to retire the current prison and investing more money into that infrastructure would be throwing away good money at a bad building. She said they offer ice and cool showers and some areas of the prison for men in Concord are particularly problematic.
Any remaining ARPA funding is going into a “waterfall” account which will be focused on affordable housing. Caswell said it could be a couple hundred thousand dollars or a couple million dollars, he does not know. The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority could fund projects from that account. They are a quasi-public agency which allows the state to keep the money here rather than sending it back to Washington.
FUNDING FOR SECOND PHASE OF I-93 EXIT 4A OK’d
The $30 million contract which moves forward a new exit of Interstate 93 in Londonderry was approved despite a lawsuit involving the rail trail in that area.
Weaver Brothers Construction Co. Inc. won the bid for a new connecting roadway in the Derry/Londonderry area using federal funds.
This is part of the 10-year plan.
It includes the construction of Old Rum Trail, Folsom Road, Tsienneto Road, Route 28, North High Street and associated cross streets. This was the lowest of two bids received. R.S. Audley Inc. offered $33.6 million.
Commissioner of Transportation William Cass said he thinks they are on the same page with the plaintiff in not doing anything that would prevent or preclude what comes out of the court decision.
Asked about added costs, Cass said he did not see it at this point.
The contractor has agreed not to work in that area until after the court decision, Cass confirmed.
4H “BIG E” PRESENTERS ATTEND GOVERNOR’S BREAKFAST
Last month, New Hampshire’s youth were represented at one of biggest fairs in the country, the “Big E” or the Eastern States Fair. Some of the presenters came to the breakfast meeting, including Olivia Brown of Milford, 12, who made a presentation on her back yard maple syrup production. She is part of a county level 4H. She said she learned public speaking skills and interacting with the public.
MATERNAL CARE
The council also voted to spend $400,000 for a new effort in Southern New Hampshire to provide direct care support to perinatal mothers and parenting women experiencing mental health crises including postpartum depression.
The money is coming from the ARPA program.
Currently, hospital bed capacity is limited and may require patients to wait several weeks before obtaining necessary services.
Sununu issued a statement following the unanimous vote calling it an “incredibly important initiative to provide mothers, families, and children with the support needed to thrive.”
The one-time financial support will provide a hybrid model of emergency and preventative support services and the hub will collaborate with existing Family Resource Centers and healthcare providers.
Weaver, commissioner of the state Health and Human Services Department, said it is critical to support New Hampshire mothers.
“This investment is key to meeting the goals of the DHHS Roadmap 2024-2025, which aims to continue improving maternal health outcomes by increasing access to effective, high-quality care,” Weaver said.
GOVERNOR OFFERS NO COMMENT ON HANTZ MARCONI MEETING CITING PENDING CASE
Sununu declined to answer any questions related to a June 6 meeting he had with indicted state Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi citing the pending court case and said he was not even sure if he would be called to testify in any trial.
Hantz Marconi has been indicted for two felonies and five misdemeanors for allegedly trying to interfere with a criminal investigation into her husband, Geno Marconi, the director of the Division of Ports and Harbors, who is also on paid leave and has been indicted on charges alleging he violated the Driver Privacy Act.
The indictments allege Hantz Marconi solicited Sununu to misuse his position and or interfere with the criminal investigation of her husband.
GROUP 2 RETIREMENT PLAN SUIT GETS GOVERNOR’S IRE
Members of the New Hampshire Retirement System Group II, Tier B filed a lawsuit against the state challenging the “unlawful and unfair reduction of pensions” for police, fire, corrections and nurses, which aims to reverse the legislative changes made in 2021, the governor fired back that suing when you don’t get everything you want just makes things worse.
“After working out a deal with Group II? That I just gave tens of millions of dollars to? That agreed to the deal and wanted all that. They are going to sue us for more money? Shocking. I think the legislature went above and beyond to try to find a common ground solution that was affordable, that wasn’t going to bankrupt the system that closed this gap and loophole. I think it did a phenomenal job.”
Sununu told reporters he thought the state has made strides but there is an attitude lately, that “if you don’t get everything you want you sue. Right? If we meet in the middle and find common ground, that is great in the moment and then you go sue because you don’t get everything you wanted…in the end of the day it burns more bridges than anything and it doesn’t bring a faster result.”
