By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – The state’s Executive Council approved $5 million from the Housing Champion Grant Program to 11 designated recipients to improve infrastructure and build affordable housing units across the state.
Creating more affordable housing has been the state’s top issue in poll after poll with many saying it is holding back the economy.
A total of 150 housing units will be built with help using state general funds in Newport (17), Salem (29), Nashua (82) and Manchester (20) with the help of these funds.
Another $3.5 million was approved for water, sewer and site improvements including Concord (sewer) with $859,689, Dover (water) $859,689, Lebanon (site improvements) $158,805, Manchester (electric/fire suppression) $116,753, Newport (sewer) $234,375, Rochester (sewer/water) $411,000 and Salem (water) $859,689 receiving grant awards.
INVESTNH FUNDING
A number of municipal contracts that the state awarded matching grants to demolish buildings to make way for affordable housing are moving slower than anticipated and extensions, including ones for Peterborough and Littleton at Remick Park, were approved.
The state committed $100 million to the InvestNH program using post COVID-19 relief funds through the American Rescue Act Program and a full list of projects can be found here https://www.nheconomy.com/investnh-housing.
The council approved for extensions projects in North Conway at 109 Pine St., the former McGoldrick Paper Mill in Hinsdale, Nashua’s Gateway Community, two in Whitefield at King Square and 11 Main St., Hillsborough at 171 Main St., one in Swanzey and the former Jameson Store in Warren.
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR GLENCLIFF RESIDENTS APPROVED
A Contoocook-based, nonprofit provider of transitional housing services, NFI North Inc., was awarded a two-year contract extension with the state to provide services for individuals awaiting admission to or transitioning away from the Glencliff Home for the mentally disabled elderly Wednesday.
The Executive Council approved the contract for about $10 million after a discussion involving costs. The contract was tabled on May 21.
Executive Councilor John Stephen, R-Manchester, pushed Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver to go back to the contractor and ask to reduce the contract to a year extension.
“That’s just not how we do business,” Weaver said.
Weaver said there could be “significant risks” in doing that if they backed out and it would impact some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens, where they call home and what happens to them.
Attorney General John Formella also noted that it might put the state in legal jeopardy of violating a court ordered settlement related to their care.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, said while she was concerned about the costs, “what happens to these people?” if the NFI contract went away.
Stephen, who was once DHHS commissioner, has been pressing the department on numerous contracts which he said the state should have gotten a better deal and in this case was asking Weaver to go back and renegotiate. In other cases, he has asked about sole-source contracts in which there are no bidders and he has voted against a number of contracts expressing concern that the state is not a tough enough negotiator.
The council approved the contract to continue expanding and providing housing services across the state at the end of a three-hour meeting where a number of other matters were either voted on or tabled.
TABLED CONTRACT
A five-year, $3.5 million contract to provide healthcare professional monitoring for professionals ranging from doctors to dentists who face addiction and want to get clean and return to work was debated by the state’s Executive Council Wednesday and tabled 4-1 with Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield, dissenting.
Concern was expressed that the winning bidder is from out of state and has no physical presence in the state. There was some praise for the existing contractor, NH Health Professionals Program.
Ulliance Inc. of Troy, Michigan, was the lowest of three bidders for a contract that beat the current New Hampshire provider.
Deanna Juris, executive director of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, wrote in a letter to the governor that the contract will actually save the state almost $500,000. It is paid by a $28 fee for each health care provider from midwives to optometrists, to dieticians.
Executive Councilor Janet Stevens, R-Rye, said the decision disregards the existing vendor and is dangerous. She said this is one of only a few for-profit vendors in this regard.
She said the existing vendor has done a good job.
NH Health Professionals Program offered a bid of $4,135,644 while a third bidder, Uprise Health offered $3,599,371.
Ulliance only cited one New Hampshire based employee, Stevens said. Monitoring is critical to this contract and she said by law they need to be based in New Hampshire.
“I’m very concerned about the safety of their testing,” Stevens said.
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, said she is also finding this a challenging contract.
She said it is important to get this right and she had heard from many people pleased with the status quo and the current vendor.
“I recognize this would be a big change,” she said. “I often say that New Hampshire is a really small town,” she said. “There is something very meaningful and valuable to an entity that has real roots.”
Stephen told Juris he believes in the integrity of the bid process. He asked about the three evaluators and whether she trusted those people, which she said she did.
There is a lot of trust in the current vendor, he said who has built trust.
Stephen asked if she would be willing to come back to the table quarterly to report how often they were on the ground and Juris said she would.
Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield, said, “This is not an easy contract” and asked if there was an extension option for the current contract, which there is not.
Executive Councilor David Wheeler, R-Milford, asked the attorney general if the state can fire vendors.
Yes, the standard is 30 days notice, said Attorney General Formella.
NOMINATIONS, CONFIRMATIONS, RESIGNATIONS
Joseph W. Mollica of Sunapee has been reappointed for a new term as commissioner of the State Liquor Commission. The term if confirmed will be through July 1, 2029.
The council confirmed the nomination of Stuart D. Trachy of Franklin to the state’s Lottery Commission replacing Debra Douglas of Bow who stepped aside.
Also among the confirmations was Mark Wholey of Nashua as the director of the division of Fire Standards and Training and Emergency Medical Services.
Resignations included Janet Bouchard of Gilford as deputy director of the Department of Safety, Donald DeAngeles of Concord from the Fire Standards and Training Commission and Shawn Bergeron Sr. of Madison from the Board of Professional Engineers.
The governor also has nominated Robert Buxton of Bedford for another term as director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
MUNICIPAL CYBERSECURITY
The council also agreed to enter into a sole source contract with Overwatch Foundation of Concord to provide municipal cybersecurity by increasing the price limitation on an agreement from January, 2024 by $5 million to $12.8 million and it also includes an advance payment of $500,000 for staffing ramp-up for the K12 cybersecurity project.
“The stakes are very high,” said Liot Hill, and she said the service is particularly helpful to small municipalities.
“We are first in the nation in a lot of cybersecurity protections,” she said, offering congratulations to Denis Goulet, commissioner of the Department of Information Technology.
UPDATE ON HAMPTON REST AREA
Liquor officials were asked to give an update on where things stand related to the cancelled sale of the two Hampton rest area and liquor store sites which Ayotte said she yanked because it makes more sense for the state to lease the property so that the state can leverage more control of the messaging and what is sold there.
The council was told they are working on developing requests for proposals and also working with the Town of Hampton to figure out a way for it to receive revenue from the currently non-taxable property.
Stephen said he supports the governor’s decision to lease rather than sell, saying that makes good sense and Ayotte said the state already has the example of the welcome centers at Hooksett for payments to the town which could be modeled.
MOUNT SUNAPEE UPDATE
Councilor Liot Hill thanked Sarah Stewart, Commissioner of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and Bob Scott, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Services, for attending a meeting on the future of the state owned Mount Sunapee ski area which is leased to Vail Resorts and community concern about the possibility of future problems with a wastewater system and its impact on nearby Lake Sunapee.
She said the state did a good job addressing concerns that were expressed by the more than 200 who attended the meeting on Tuesday in Newbury and that there is a good level of discussion among the town and concerned residents and Vail to properly address the matter. The resort operator has to get an annual agreement with the state to operate and it has to be signed by Commissioner Stewart.
The issue has been on the radar as part of the long-term plan.
CYANOBACTERIA IS BACK
A big issue in the Lakes Region last year was the presence of the blue green algae cyanobacteria on the water which can become a neurotoxin and kill animals, sicken people and reduce property values if it persists.
Liot Hill said she has heard that a cyanobacteria bloom had been found on Perkins Pond in Sunapee.
While it is not on the state’s website, there are currently warnings for Pool Pond in Rindge and Pawtuckaway Lake in Nottingham and a watch on Franklin Pierce Lake in Antrim.
CHINESE COMPANY QUESTIONS
The council voted to table a non-related grant award for Pennichuck Water Works Inc. of Nashua for $250,000 for wastewater improvements after Councilor Wheeler asked officials about a Chinese water company, Nongfu Spring, which has purchased a building in the area for $67 million and is interested in getting water from Pennichuck.
Commissioner Scott said that was a separate matter and this contract was for PFAS remediation, though he noted that the water company has excess capacity.
The matter will likely come up in two weeks when the council next meets.