Shaheen Announces $45.6M More for Key NH Projects and Priorities in Government Funding Legislation
**A senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen worked to include federal support for a myriad of NH projects, from investments in water infrastructure to substance use disorder programming, affordable housing and more.**
**Shaheen previously announced additional New Hampshire projects in August, as well as numerous Granite State priorities she fought to include in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies funding legislation released yesterday, of which Shaheen spearheads as Chair of the subcommittee.**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that government funding legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2022 released late yesterday afternoon includes $45,564,000 for specific New Hampshire projects, which she helped secure. The robust federal dollars, appropriated through the congressionally directed spending process, invest in a myriad of Granite State priorities, including water infrastructure, health care facility investments, educational training, resources to combat homelessness and food insecurity, support for substance use disorder programs and much more.
In addition to the congressionally directed spending listed below, Shaheen previously announced additional New Hampshire projects in August, as well as numerous Granite State priorities she fought to include in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies funding legislation released yesterday, of which Shaheen spearheads as Chair of the subcommittee. In total, Shaheen has announced more than $108 million in congressionally directed spending requests that would directly benefit New Hampshire communities.
“Too often, New Hampshire has been short-changed the funding and resources it deserves to meet critical needs in our communities. That’s why the congressionally directed spending process plays such an important role to help smaller states like ours get their fair share and deliver for residents, from addressing the COVID-19 pandemic to bolstering our response to the substance use disorder crisis to investing in local infrastructure priorities that put the health and well-being of Granite Staters first,” said Shaheen. “As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I fought to secure more than $45 million worth of funding that would be put to good use in New Hampshire to help our localities make necessary improvements, expand capacity for health care providers, repair outdoor recreation spaces, combat homelessness, increase affordable housing and much more. Securing this funding through the appropriations process is a critical step forward, and I’ll continue to work across the aisle in the Senate to advance this funding legislation through Congress and deliver it to the President’s desk.”
The full list of New Hampshire projects are listed below, which will next be considered in the government funding legislation by the full Senate.
NH Projects Include:
Support for First Responders
Water Pump Stations for the Town of Durham: Senator Shaheen pushed for the inclusion of $543,000 to assist the Town of Durham in purchasing generators for two town water pump stations, the Durham Police Station and town public works facilities. These backup generators at the water pumping station would ensure residents in Durham as well as the University of New Hampshire continue to have water in the event of a prolonged power outage.
Fire Station Investments for the Town of Hampstead: Senator Shaheen worked to secure $200,000 for the Town of Hampstead to renovate an existing fire station into a fully interoperable Emergency Operating Center (EOC) that will improve the town’s ability to coordinate information and emergency resources.
Investments in Critical Water Infrastructure
Drinking Water Investments in the Town and Village of Canaan: Senator Shaheen fought to include $1,470,000 to replace and enhance drinking water infrastructure, including leaded water line replacement and river crossing protection.
Wastewater Investments in Conway: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $1,000,000 to address the inflow and infiltration into aging sewer lines in the Conway Village Fire District to reduce flows within the system and ensure sewage is not leaking into groundwater.
Wastewater Investments in Exeter: Senator Shaheen worked to secure $1,050,000 to upgrade the Webster Avenue sewer pump station and appurtenances to provide for greater commercial and residential development, including the expansion of Exeter Hospital.
Wastewater Improvements in Newport: Senator Shaheen worked to secure $1,936,000 for the engineering of preliminary and final design, project bidding and selection, and construction of Newport’s wastewater treatment plant upgrade.
Wastewater Upgrades in Rochester: Senator Shaheen fought to add $900,000 in support of a local project that will provide upgrades to the City’s wastewater treatment plant septic receiving area. Funding for this project will be allocated for the engineering design and the construction of a modern and user-friendly system to collect and treat waste from septic systems in Rochester. The project will protect public health and reduce non-point source nitrogen loading to the Great Bay watershed by providing a reliable means for sewage disposal. This project is included in the State’s Clean Water SRF Intended Use Plan.
Federal Assistance for the Town of Greenville to Comply with Water Pollution Standards: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $750,000 for the Town of Greenville’s design and construction of a chemical feed facility to comply with a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) permit due to State and Federal environmental goals, to prevent further economic hardship on the community, which is already facing financial limitations.
Support for Sewer Maintenance in Keene: Senator Shaheen helped secure $325,000 for the City of Keene to execute an engineering assessment of the sewer force main to determine its condition, identify weak points and areas at high risk of failure and the work necessary to repair those areas.
Support for New Hampshire’s Historic Sites and Public Lands
Investments in Historic Concord Building: Senator Shaheen successfully helped add $500,000 to rescue, restore and revive the vacant Gasholder building in Concord, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2018) and documented by the Historic American Engineering Record (1984). This distinctive 88' diameter brick structure with a wooden cupola is a visible and significant landmark in the capital city, and its restoration offers significant community and economic development potential. This rare survivor is one of 14 known gasholders in the U.S. and is the only one to have its inner workings intact.
Trail Work on the Franconia Ridge Trail: Senator Shaheen helped procure $1,125,000 through the U.S. Forest Service to support trail work on the Franconia Ridge Trail. The trail work would concentrate on installing structures to better define the trail to keep hikers from veering off the path and trampling fragile alpine vegetation, of which the East Coast has little. Trail work would also focus on installing rock steps and water bars to protect the trail from further erosion.
Historic Preservation Investments in Milan: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $500,000 used to help in the preservation of the Big Nansen Ski Jump, a historic site registered on the National Register of Historic Places, in Milan, New Hampshire. The Big Nansen Ski Jump was once the largest ski jump in the world and used for several Olympic Trials, including the 1938 trials, and other national championships. This appropriation will be used to address structural issues associated with the site’s aging infrastructure.
Investments in Health Care
Renovations at Berlin Family Health Facility: Senator Shaheen fought to include $1,500,000 for the Coos County Family Health Services to renovate and retrofit a building in downtown Berlin in order to expand their safety net dental clinic and serve more patients in this underserved community.
Perinatal Training for Rural NH Providers: Senator Shaheen pushed to include $192,000 for Northern New England Perinatal Quality Improvement in support of the STONE pilot project, which would bring together Dartmouth-Hitchcock physicians and experts to provide simulation training for rural emergency room and EMS personnel. The program will also utilize telemedicine capabilities to allow rural emergency rooms and EMS real-time connections to neonatal specialists who can help bedside teams with acute care of newborns.
CMC and Saint Anselm College Training Facility: Senator Shaheen helped include $2,000,000 for Catholic Medical Center (CMC) and Saint Anselm College to build a 13,000 sq ft. state-of-the-art health care simulation facility in New Hampshire. CMC and Saint Anselm College will renovate and build this center on Manchester’s West Side. This facility would be used for health care staff, nursing and students and other stakeholders for on-the-job training, representations of real-life health care events and testing.
Increased Capacity for Mental Health Emergencies at CMC: Senator Shaheen fought to secure $500,000 for Catholic Medical Center to improve its space in the emergency department where individuals experiencing behavioral health incidents wait for behavioral health beds to become available.
Addiction Outreach and Treatment Assistance: Senator Shaheen worked to include $25,000 for the Dismas Home of New Hampshire to bolster their outreach campaign to recruit participants in their program. Dismas Home offers a four-phase substance use disorder treatment program for previously incarcerated women. Due to COVID restrictions at jails and prisons, it has been very hard for Dismas Home to recruit new residents and they have been unable to transition existing residents out of the home due to delays in the court system. These funds would help to keep Dismas Home programming afloat with more outreach efforts.
Children’s Hospital Expansion at Dartmouth-Hitchcock: Senator Shaheen supported the addition of $1,000,000 for Dartmouth-Hitchcock to expand its Outpatient Clinic in Manchester in order to house an expansion of the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD).
Combat Vaccine Hesitancy & Community Engagement: Senator Shaheen worked to include $150,000 for the Safari Youth Club in Manchester to expand a services program to help parents better understand the school system, combat COVID vaccine hesitancy and connect to eligible services. Funds will also be used to run a summer sports camp that will be used to teach health education, including about COVID-19.
Nursing School Investments at Colby-Sawyer: Senator Shaheen worked to include $1,500,000 for Colby-Sawyer College in New London to construct a new, state-of-the-art building for its School of Nursing & Health Sciences Program. This program has expanded over the last few years as Colby-Sawyer has worked with Dartmouth-Hitchcock on a five-year project to expand their partnership to address critical workforce needs. This project will fill a critical need for nursing education to ready the next generation of nurses.
Addressing Health Disparities: Senator Shaheen fought to include $448,000 for Dartmouth-Hitchcock to establish a Center for Advancing Rural Health to address persistent health disparities in rural communities. This center would work to foster improvements in rural health through research, health care design, education, workforce development and community action.
Transportation Assistance for Health Care Needs: Senator Shaheen worked to include $500,000 for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital to expand its Care Van Program, which assists in helping bring patients to medical appointments when they have no other means of transportation. The Care Van program is designed for patients who are unable to provide for his or her own transportation and have no other regular, reliable and appropriate means of transportation, either public or private.
Expand and Modernize Nursing Home Facility in Sullivan County: Senator Shaheen helped secure $2,000,000 to renovate the Sullivan County Nursing Home in Unity. Sullivan County aims to expand the square footage of the campus by 50%, modernize the campus and update plumbing and heating infrastructure.
ACERT Investments in Sullivan and Grafton Counties: Senator Shaheen successfully added $350,000 for the TLC Family Resource Center to expand its current services around Adverse Childhood Experiences to better integrate family strengthening and peer recovery strategies that address the impact of substance use disorders on child outcomes.
Facility Expansion in NH Lakes Region: Senator Shaheen fought to procure $1,000,000 for HealthFirst Family Health Center, which serves New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, to renovate its Franklin facility and allow space to expand access to primary care and behavioral health. It will also enable the center to bring Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services on-site.
Increased Capacity in Whitefield Health Center: Senator Shaheen worked to add $500,000 for Ammonoosuc Community Health Services to renovate the 2nd floor of the organization’s space in Whitefield, which will allow for increased access to substance use disorder, behavioral health, nutrition and patient navigational services.
Support for Education and Granite State Families
Federal Support for Childcare Training and Professional Development: Senator Shaheen helped procure $1,000,000 for Keene State College, in partnership with the Monadnock United Way, to advance initiatives that will increase both the number and level of training for childcare workers, including training and professional development for current workers. The aim of these initiatives is for higher retention of employees in the field, which will also help to expand childcare availability in the Monadnock Region.
Support for Youth Homelessness Programming: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $100,000 for Stepping Stones to implement more robust programming for the homeless youth drop-in center it established last year in Nashua. Stepping Stones provides basic needs, such as food, showers, clothes and toiletries, and also works with youth to obtain necessary documentation like a driver’s license, birth certificate and other required paperwork to help those seeking employment or assistance.
Assistance to Combat Food Insecurity at SNHU: Senator Shaheen worked to add $250,000 to be used by Southern New Hampshire University to establish a Basic Needs Center on campus to help students, faculty and staff experiencing food insecurity.
Support for Immigrant Community in Manchester: Senator Shaheen supported including $233,000 for Southern New Hampshire University to improve services for English language instruction for immigrants and refugees in Manchester.
Advance SNHU Study on Efficacy of Higher Education Program: The appropriations legislation includes $170,000 for Southern New Hampshire University to advance postsecondary opportunities for incarcerated individuals in the state.
Program Investments at Nashua Community College: Senator Shaheen helped secure $782,000 to assist Nashua Community College in purchasing updated training aids and equipment for a new Aviation Technology Training Center at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT). Nashua’s Aviation Technology Program is the only FAA-certified program in the state and this new space will give the college room to expand the program.
Increased Capacity for Rockingham County TBI Facility: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $1,000,000 for One Sky Community Services, one of New Hampshire’s 10 Area Agencies for those with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries, to construct a residential facility with 24/7 care for those with developmental disabilities in Northwood, New Hampshire.
Higher Education Completion Programming: Senator Shaheen helped add $325,000 in support of Campus Compact for New Hampshire’s project that aims to improve completion rates for NH residents who have left college without a degree. Campus Compact for New Hampshire will use funding to support several strategies including increasing access to resources, promoting reverse transfer opportunities, addressing racial and ethnic disparities that can lead to drop-out and establishing relationships with local employers to create work pathways for non-completers.
Strengthening New Hampshire’s Infrastructure
Renovations at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport: Senator Shaheen worked to include $9,350,000 in support of Manchester-Boston Regional Airport’s public-private partnership to develop up to a 100,000 square-foot air cargo facility, with a private developer funding the building and related work, and MHT funding the aircraft apron, taxiway connectors, utility relocation and an access road. The partnership leverages private investment to bring much needed air cargo capacity and high-paying jobs to New Hampshire.
Road Repairs and Infrastructure Improvements to Nashua Neighborhood: Senator Shaheen helped procure $1,000,000 to support improvements to Walnut Street in Nashua. The Walnut Street “Oval” is the result of 1950s urban renewal, and has led to a lack of circulation, prohibition of vehicular movement and an unsafe situation for pedestrians. This project would tighten the impacted intersections, reintroduce sidewalks, realign the roadways to connect them and allow for traffic flow, create new intersections and install signaling. Combined, these improvements will reintroduce a street grid that allows traffic to move efficiently and vastly improve pedestrian safety.
Airport Investments in Newport: Senator Shaheen worked to add $650,000 to enable the Parlin Field Airport in Newport, New Hampshire to completely resurface its 3,400 foot runway to ensure continued safe, sustainable usage by local residents, tourists and businesses.
Addressing New Hampshire’s Housing Needs
Assistance for Pandemic-Related Material Costs: Senator Shaheen secured $250,000 to support CATCH Neighborhood Housing in Concord and Penacook, New Hampshire to cover the anticipated unbudgeted COVID-19 pandemic-related increases in material costs. This funding will ensure that the Rosemary’s Way residential development in Penacook is completed on time and as planned, creating 42 new low-to moderate-income housing units in Concord.
Affordable Housing Development in Grafton and Coos Counties: Senator Shaheen pushed for the inclusion of $970,000 to support Affordable Housing, Education and Development, Inc.’s (AHEAD) project to create up to 150 newly constructed, affordable housing units on a 77-acre, in-town site with 29 acres designated for conservation and recreational uses, and up to 17 acres designated for use as the site of a new elementary school. Funding would be for the acquisition of this site and for infrastructure development including construction of roadways, water and sewer systems and underground electrical systems. This project would help address the significant affordable housing shortage in the North Country.
Assistance to Combat Homelessness and Food Insecurity in Nashua: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $900,000 to assist the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter in renovating the old Sacred Heart Elementary School at 35 Spring Street to serve as an emergency shelter and permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. The shelter will provide space for families with children, single adult men, and single adult women. In addition, 11 units of permanent housing for single adults will be provided. Emergency childcare for families experiencing homelessness, health care services provided by the local Community Health Center, and job training will all be provided on-site.
Emergency Shelter Resources for Homeless Youth in Hillsborough County: Senator Shaheen helped include $771,000 in support of Waypoint’s project in Manchester to open the first ever emergency shelter and dedicated permanent housing units for youth and young adults in the Granite State.
Safety Upgrades to Manchester Public Housing Developments: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $1,000,000 to assist the Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Authority (MHRA) in conducting pre-development activities that will enable the agency to meet its due diligence, complete engineering, site work design and architectural design, and bid documents to substantially rehabilitate Kelley Falls Apartments, a post-WWII public housing development in Manchester comprised of 132 units.
Affordable Housing for Low-Income Families in Seacoast Region: Senator Shaheen fought to include $343,000 for the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund to provide affordable housing for low- and very low-income families in Portsmouth. Funding would go toward development of an existing manufactured housing cooperative known as the Woodbury Cooperative. The appropriations legislation also includes $1,000,000 for Seacoast Family Promise to develop affordable housing facilities in Strafford and Rockingham counties to provide permanent supportive housing for families with children.
Housing Assessment Needs Across the State: Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of $950,000 to fund each of the nine New Hampshire Regional Planning Commissions’ efforts to prepare a new regional housing needs assessment (RHNA) and update their comprehensive plans which were last updated in 2015. This statewide update of RHNAs by each region will provide needed information such as an analysis of housing supply and demand, and fair share housing calculations that communities and agencies require for their own planning efforts.
Landlord-Tenant Mediation Program: This appropriations legislation includes $556,000 to expand the landlord-tenant mediation pilot program statewide so that all New Hampshire residents, regardless of location, can use mediation. Currently, only landlords and tenants who have cases in either Concord or Claremont Circuit Courts are able to mediate their cases. Additional funding will be used to expand the capacity of the program so that it can be offered in all 31 district divisions in New Hampshire. Mediation promotes housing stability and expanding this program would provide tenants and landlords across New Hampshire access to this useful and stabilizing program.
Senior Housing Facilities: Senator Shaheen fought to include $1,000,000 for the Easterseals of New Hampshire, Inc. to enhance its investments in its building modernization, a modest expansion and accessibility improvements to the Champlin House Senior Community Center. Funds will support engineering, architectural services and construction of physical improvements. Expected outcomes would be interior modifications and expansion to create larger, more spacious program areas, the addition of an elevator, upgraded/new bathroom facilities, and improvement of meal preparation capacity.
Robust Support for Seacoast Anti-Poverty Programming: Senator Shaheen worked to secure $1,000,000 for the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County’s anti-poverty programs. Specifically, the funding would consolidate its separate programs within one facility in Dover. This funding would support the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County (CAPSC) to consolidate its separate anti-poverty programs within one facility in Dover. CAPSC partnered with the Housing Partnership to create 42 workforce housing units, and CAPSC occupies 17,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor with Head Start, homeless and housing programs, fuel assistance and administrative services. Project funding would eliminate CAPSC’s mortgage on this property and provide additional reductions in expenditures on utilities, phone service and technology. The dollars saved would be reinvested back into its programs and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the organization.
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