North Country Issues Discussed At Council Breakfast And Regular Meeting

By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH

Above, Gov. Kelly Ayotte and members of the Executive Council met at Pittsburg Ridge Runners Club House in Pittsburg. PAULA TRACY photo

PITTSBURG, NH — Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a bill Wednesday that will allow OHRV trails in the Great North Woods to stay open through Columbus Day.

It was a day for North Country issues as the state's top leaders came to the Governor and Executive Council meeting with their own focus on the region.

State Rep. Arnie Davis, R-Berlin, said House Bill 127 is important to business leaders in the region because it allows for them to be on a level playing field with the rest of the state, who have the trails open through that time frame.

In this part of the state, he said, they have closed two weeks before the big holiday weekend in peak foliage.

More than 200 people came to the meeting at the Pittsburg Ridge Runners Club House and spent the morning learning about what the state is doing to address their issues along with others.

NORTHERN BORDER ALLIANCE

At a breakfast meeting before the regular meeting, Commissioner of Safety Robert Quinn and Mark Hall, director of State Police, gave the governor and Executive Councilors an overview of the work of North Country law enforcement officers to help protect the border with Canada during a breakfast meeting at the 1840 Restaurant on Back Lake Road, here.

The regular Executive Council meeting was held later.

Quinn also discussed a new program focused on drug interdiction called Northern Shield which Ayotte recently created and improvements to dispatch communications and the challenges that brings with it in the vast 1,400 square mile region.

Hall said the Northern Border Alliance has been "extremely successful."

He said the North Country is unique and law enforcement resources are limited.

But one thing that has brought more collaboration and strength to the effort has been the partnerships which have been created since the alliance was formed.

"Partnerships are extremely important. That is really what has led to the success...you can look at data in different ways...but I must say it has a deterrent effect," Hall said.

The new Northern Shield funding will address efforts to keep drugs from crossing the border illegally.

The North Country, he said, is no stranger to the drug epidemic.

Quinn noted there is still $925,000 available for the Northern Border Alliance.

Since its inception the program has had over 3,500 individual contacts.

The alliance includes law enforcement officers who work within 25 miles of the border. It “has enhanced public safety by enabling faster response times to emergencies and increasing backup and support for law enforcement,” wrote Quinn, in the required semi-annual report drafted July 18.

The most recent report from January to June shows the NBA had 2,822 contacts with individuals and 673 motor vehicle stops.

Pittsburg Police Chief Richard Dube II said the alliance "is definitely working," and his officers and community have "no complaints."

The ACLU of New Hampshire has questioned why taxpayer dollars are still allocated for the northern border after data on encounters by both Border Patrol and the state’s Northern Border Alliance Task Force from January to May 2024 showed zero encounters with undocumented immigrants..

The northern border's dispatch center is being updated and the council received an update on work on that system. The lack of infrastructure and the physical limitations were outlined including lack of electrical systems in some areas and lack of cell phone services.

FAIRGROUNDS GRANTS

The council awarded several grants to fair operations to help with infrastructural needs including $175,000 to both the North Haverhill and Lancaster fairs and $42,210 for the Rochester Fair.

STATE GOES WAY OVER BUDGET ON ROAD PAINT

The state has spent much more on road paint and asked to increase the contract for it from about $3 million to $10 million. Department of Transportation officials reported that the problem was primarily due to road wash outs and damage from storms.

LICENSE PLATE AGREEMENT

A memorandum of agreement between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Safety was signed at the meeting. The state will continue for to have the Department of Corrections inmates stamping the estimated 1.6 million license plates in the state at $1.29 a plate but will move that job to the Department of Safety when it is ready so that the plates will not be stamped but reflectorized.

The change in how license plates are made was included in the new state budget which just passed.

Safety plans to put the license plate job out to bid, Quinn said.

WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT GRANTS ISSUED

Through the Department of Environmental Services, a number of communities and water districts will receive help with drinking water system improvements including those to Lincoln ($800,000); Littleton ($1.2 million) and Lebanon ($2.3 million); Plaistow ($1 million); Seabrook ($1.4 million) and Meredith ($740,000) and approved a loan to Dover ($5.9 million).

It also approved the agreement with the Upper Saco Land Trust to acquire 625 acres for $350,000 for drinking water protection and recreation, including hunting and fishing in Madison.

CANNON MOUNTAIN IMPROVEMENTS

Proceeds from the lease of Mount Sunapee ski area go to the Cannon Mountain Capital Improvement Fund and on Wednesday, the council approved $754,000 from that fund to implement improvements at the Franconia Notch State Park ski area for snowmaking, lift repairs and groomer upgrades. This is separate from the tramway operations which will cease this fall as another and third tramway is built over the course of the next two years.

Jace Wirth, who heads Franconia Notch State Park, said there will be improvements of snowmaking and noted that age has deteriorated pipes which lead to the trails.

COMMENDATIONS/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The governor recognized former Fish and Game Commissioner Bing Judd of Pittsburg who attended the meeting along with more than 200 North Country citizens.

She also recognized Ray Berthiaume for his over 30 years of industrial forestry experience. She said he served as the driving force of an outdoor industry exposition.

Also recognized was Heidi Barker, field specialist for UNH Coop Extension Service. Ayotte said she led farm-to-school composting and promoted healthier choices across the region.

Finally, the governor recognized Steve Ellis, a former Pittsburg Select Board member and volunteer in the North Country. He was called an "extraordinary citizen for the whole state."

"Steve has given generously of his time and talent," Ayotte said and his service has had a lasting impact.

EXTENSION OKAYED FOR HAMPTON'S OCEAN BOULEVARD

The council agreed to a one year extension and another $644,000 for a study which would lead to a "balancing" of the needs of motorized and non-motorized use for Route 1A in Hampton also known as Ocean Boulevard. The extension with HDRE Engineering is through March of 2026 for a total $2.8 million.

SPRUCE BUDWORM FIELD TOUR

The council approved a request for three state employees of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to attend the Spruce Budworm Field Tour in northern Maine Aug. 11-14.

The department received a $2 million federal grant to support landowners who stand to lose millions of trees to an infestation of Spruce Budworm which is ongoing in Eastern Canada and the Eastern part of the United States.

Patrick Hackley, director of the division of forest land within DNCR, said the last outbreak of spruce budworm to hit New Hampshire from 1971-83 "devastated" the northern forest.

FUNDING FOR IMPROVEMENTS AT MANCHESTER AIRPORT

The council approved $7 million to reconstruct the airfield lighting vault at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Most of the money is coming from the federal government.

CONWAY SCENIC RAILROAD GETS 10-YEAR LEASE

A retroactive, 10-year lease to use the state-owned rail lines between Whitefield and Conway was approved through 2034 for the Conway Scenic Railroad with provisions for another 10-year renewal.

Also the state agreed to spend $500,000 to improve the privately owned track between Berlin and Stratford for the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Co. as part of a multi-state, $6.6 million track improvement, which is being headed up by Vermont transportation authorities.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The council approved $500,000 in a Community Development Block Grant to support the replacement of six boilers at AHEAD-Monadnock Village Way in Colebrook which has 50 affordable housing units. It also approved $750,000 for Monadnock Housing Corp. to support the completion of 30 affordable housing units at 438 Washington St. in Keene and $686,625 for a project in Newport.

ROAD SHOW GOES OFF ROAD

The summer Executive Council "Road Show" tour which visits each of the five Executive Council districts went off road, Wednesday when Executive Councilors got a chance to go learn about OHRV and the advent of ATV recreation. They visited Bear Rock Adventures which handles both sales and rentals of such vehicles and were expected to go for a ride.

The first summer "road show" meeting was at the Mount Washington Hotel and hosted by Gov. Ayotte. This meeting was hosted by District 1 Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield.

The next meeting of the council will be in District 2, with host Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon.

It is scheduled for Aug. 13 at Mount Sunapee Resort at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.