5 Things: Business Expansion in Merrimack

Here are five things you should know as you start your Tuesday.

1. Planning Board to meet. The Merrimack Planning Board will meet in the Matthew Thornton Room (formerly the Town Hall Meeting Room) at 7:30 p.m. On the agenda are conversations about building 120,000 square-foot warehouse/distribution center at the Flatley property adjacent to St. Gobain on Daniel Webster Highway and a 10,800-square-foot addition to the Atrium Medical property at 40 Continental Boulevard. The full agenda is attached above

2. Grand opening celebration. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Merrimack will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday evening. Come out and enjoy food provided by Buckley's Great Steaks and decorations from the Merrimack Flower Shop & Greenhouse along with many raffle prizes and, of course, networking! The event takes place from 5-7 p.m. with a special ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites is at 4 Amherst Road. Register now.

3. Food Drive continues. Merrimack Police Department's food drive for local food pantries to help out local residents around the holidays continues through the end of the month. If you haven't yet, or even if you have and want to do more, swing by the police station at 31 Baboosic Lake Road and drop off your donations.

4. Deck the House. It's that time of year where we go all out decorating our homes for the holidays. Share your photos or videos of your decked out house, be it silly or elegant, flashy or refined. The readers of Merrimack Patch will vote for their favorite and that winner will go on to compete against the winners from around the country. The grand prize is $100,000 for the winner's school district. Finalists will receive $500 that they will surely want to apply to their electricity bill for the month of December. Get more details and official contest rules at deckthehouse.patch.com/contest/merrimack.

5. Weather watch. A slight chance of freezing rain before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of rain showers between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Tonight, more showers are likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Patchy fog after 1 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.