By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – Members of the Executive Council and Gov. Kelly Ayotte raised concerns about the possible elimination of the State Council on the Arts Wednesday which funds grants for theaters and arts programs across the state that the council approves.
Ayotte said she does not support the measure promoted by fellow Republicans and noted her budget includes funding for such grants while councilors said the arts are revenue producers in the state.
Executive Councilor Janet Stevens, R-Rye, said in her district alone the arts are a $70 million industry.
“That’s why people go to Portsmouth,” she said, noting some small, struggling programs that barely recovered from losses during the pandemic would be devastated to lose these funding grants.
She said for some, free arts programing which the state helps to provide is some individual’s first exposure to theater.
On Monday a member of the House Finance Committee brought forward a plan to defund the State Council on the Arts along with the State Library.
It voted 5-4 along Republican party lines to eliminate the arts funding but waited a day and on Tuesday pulled away from Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem’s move to recommend elimination of the state library, agreeing to ask for a $600,000 cut from the biennial budget going forward for the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, asked the Commissioner of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to comment on the matter.
Sarah Stewart said the cuts would represent a reduction of general funds for the department by 22 percent.
That is an increase from the 10 percent that she had slashed from the department at the request of the governor, as she asked other departments to do.
“We will no longer have the ability to facilitate the grants you see on the agenda,” Stewart said.
Liot Hill asked about federal funds and Stewart said those too would be eliminated as they require a state match.
The councilor said she is concerned about the direction of that budget vote.
Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield, said he too supports the arts and “unbeknownst to some, it is a driver of tourism.”
Councilor John Stephen added it would have a “ripple effect,” that might close struggling arts programs.
“This grant funding is critical to many organizations,” Stewart said.
The governor told the council her budget includes funding for the Arts Council.
GOVERNOR NOMINATES BARTLETT TO ARTS COUNCIL
Former general manager of WMUR-TV Jeffrey S. Bartlett of Concord has been nominated by the governor to the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, a vacant position.
Bartlett, who was at the helm at WMUR-TV which is owned by the Hearst Corp. for 20 years said he is “passionate about supporting the arts” and community involvement in the arts.
PAUGUS BAY CYANOBACTERIA PLAN APPROVED
With cyanobacteria or blue-green algae becoming an increasing health and tourism concern, the Executive Council approved a $175,801 contract to create a response plan for Paugus Bay which is the surface drinking water for the City of Laconia.
Commissioner of Environmental Services Bob Scott wrote in his recommendation to approve the contract with FB Environmental Associates of Dover that the analysis “will inform the development of a long-term, high-quality monitoring plan,” for the water body.
Assistant Commissioner of DES Adam Crepeau said there is an issue in many states not just New Hampshire and prior Gov. Chris Sununu had some “comments” about the issue (in which he downplayed concerns.) He said he hopes that this past really cold winter, compared to last, will help reduce the number of blooms that plagued the Lakes Region last summer.
Kenney said he has heard concern expressed by Lakes Region legislators there is a back-of-the budget DES department reduction request from the House Finance Committee to possibly cut funding which might impact efforts to deal with the problem, though the funding now for Paugus Bay appears to be safe.
LARGEST BAT HIBERNACULUM PRESERVED
The council also voted to authorize a conservation easement for what will be known as the “Androscoggin Valley Corridor Project” using $1,665,000 of federal Forest Legacy funds to secure from future development 4,103 acres in Gorham.
The land connects two conservation areas and is bordered for 8.5 miles of White Mountain National Forest.
Patrick Hackley, state forester, said that the land will be opened to hunting and fishing.
Executive Councilor David Wheeler, R-Milford, said he wants it in the title in the future that the land is open in such a way for such recreation.
Kenney asked if the land would still be in current use.
Hackley said yes. And he asked if there was support from Gorham selectman and he was told there is.
Can they use it for carbon sequestration, Kenney further asked.
Hackley said there is a clause that input from the state is required as part of the Forest Legacy grant and how that change in use could compete with local concerns, though he said the landowner does not have plans to look at the carbon market now.
“What people say today is going to be different than what they will say tomorrow,” Kenney said and said carbon sequestration could destroy the state’s forest products industry.
Carbon sequestration is a process that allows property owners to register and get paid to keep their timberland standing for long periods of time rather than the traditional revenue of logging. It is new and is impacting the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters tract at the northern tip of the state.
LONESOME LAKE LEASE WITH AMC SIGNED
The Executive Council approved a “mutually beneficial partnership” with the Appalachian Mountain Club of Boston to operate the state-owned Lonesome Lake Hut in Franconia Notch State Park through 2029.
The deal allows the non-profit club to host guests for about $15,000 a year and accept a trail work agreement valued annually at about $24,000.
This has been an agreement with the state to lease the buildings on the west side of the park since 1965.
Accessed by a 1.6 mile hike up to the hut, a bunk bed costs from $30 to $75 a night, according to information available online.
SARAH FINNE HONORED
The governor honored retiring DHHS Dental Director Sarah Finne for her more than 10 years of service to the state and its dental health needs
LIOT HILL OFFERS THREE POSSIBLE NAMES FOR EDUCATION COMMISSIONER
With Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut expected to conclude his eight years of service to the state this spring, Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill has asked the governor to consider three individuals for the four-year term.
They include Kathleen Murphy, Concord School Superintendent, Steven Chamberlin, assistant superintendent of the Amherst School District, and Jennifer Chmiel Gillis, Manchester Superintendent.
In her letter, she said that the state has over 160,000 students in public schools and fewer than 6,000 who receive vouchers for Education Freedom Accounts to attend elsewhere and “I believe that the next Education Commissioner should have demonstrated experience in public school leadership.”
$18M DELOITTE CHILD WELFARE DATA CONTRACT DEBATED, TABLED
A Health and Human Services request to approve a $18.5 million contract with Deloitte Consulting LLP of New York to “support the safety permanency and well-being of New Hampshire’s children and their families by replacing the current State Automated Child Welfare Information System, New Hampshire Bridges with the NH Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System” through June, 2031 was debated for an hour and tabled.
Councilor John Stephen, R-Manchester, peppered department officials with concerns he had about the contract and its experience in neighboring Maine and wondered whether the state could get a better deal if it went back out to bid.
HHS officials said the deal is a good one for the state and is based on 2019 costs which the company has not gone up with.
Lessons have been learned from Maine, said Councilor Stevens.
Lori Weaver, commissioner of HHS, said this is the “heart and brains of our child-care system,” and it is time to get a new system.
Patricia Tilley, associate commissioner, said “we don’t’ have time to waste” and they have case workers working with vulnerable kids and every minute that is wasted that involves their cases.
Ayotte said she supports the contract after she held it back for two weeks to have her staff go through the contract request and find out what was needed.
Kenney said it is a very big contract. Could there be a demonstration of how this would work? Weaver said that might be possible. But she said this will allow the state to protect more kids and the state would struggle with the current system.
About half of the funds are from the state general funds and the other half will be provided by federal funds.
The Attorney General said given that we the state has gone through the requests for proposals process the state needs to take a vote.