By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
HAMPTON – Demolition of the state’s Department of Justice building in downtown Concord is on the agenda for the Governor and Executive Council meeting Wednesday in addition to approving state loan guarantees for a New Balance factory in Londonderry.
The council will meet at the Hampton Beach Seashell conference center beginning at 10 a.m. and it will be a long day for the five councilors as they also have public hearings in the afternoon on the nominations of Mark Howard to be chief justice of the Superior Court at 2:45 p.m. and Tanya Spony of Brookline at 4 p.m. to serve as Justice for the State of New Hampshire Circuit Court.
At 10 a.m., the public gets to comment on a Business Finance Authority request to authorize issuing up to $72.5 million in bonds and to award a state guarantee of payment of a bond in the principal amount up to $50 million to be purchased by Service Federal Credit Union to build a New Balance Athletics plant on 17.8 acres in Londonderry.
The plan is to create a 102,000 square foot structure there.
DEMOLITION GRANTS
Also on the docket is funding for Dover, Kingston and Keene as part of the InvestNH program.
If approved, the three communities could get help demolishing properties at 725-727 Central Avenue in Dover, at 178 Main St. in Kingston and at 160 Water St. in Keene to help advance initiatives to build more workforce housing.
In total, about $756,655 would be spent from the new $100 million program. The program also has about $60 million allocated for construction costs for new units.
Another aspect of the InvestNH program is aimed at providing incentive rewards for municipalities that expedite permit processing for such construction.
The council will also be asked to authorize just over $1 million to Manchester and Hillsborough to permit a total of 107 new units.
The bulk of that funding would go to the Hillsborough Heights project at 219 West Main St. in Hillsborough, to create 84 new units of housing. About $840,000 would go to Hillsborough.
Manchester has two projects also approved by the InvestNH initiative which could receive $80,000 for eight units at 57 Manchester St. and $150,000 for 15 units at 1211-1217 Elm St. in Manchester.
BULLDOZERS TO COME TO CONCORD
The Department of Administrative Services is asking the council to approve a contract with S&R Corp. of Lowell, Mass. to demolish the Department of Justice Building across the street from the State House, which is earmarked for a new legislative parking garage.
S&R was the lowest of three bidders for the project with a bid of $920,000. When combined with $40,000 for engineering and $50,000 in contingency, the property will be $1,010,000 and the contract is through Feb. 28, 2024.
The legislature approved more than $30 million for a new garage, using federal funds, and this is just the first step to replace the Storrs Street parking garage.
The building and its parking lots will be leveled to accommodate a new structure which will replace the aging structure on the other side of Main Street in Concord.
Charlie Arlinghaus, commissioner, said the bids came in below estimate which was at $1,450,000 in part because the state’s estimates were based on a larger structure.
The council is on its summer tour of the state and this week’s meeting is hosted by Executive Councilor Janet Stevens, R-Rye.