community facilities

Parks and Recreation agencies play a vital role in the physical, economic, social, and emotional health of New Hampshire communities and provide essential community services. Park and Recreation opportunities create the positive quality of life that attracts people to our communities.

It was 1982 in Keene, New Hampshire and another hot July day. I had ridden my bike through the park on my way to the neighborhood pool, where my friends and I often went to cool down and perfect our cannonballs. As I was waiting in line for the diving board, a large coach bus pulled into the parking lot, which I remember was unusually full for it being the middle of the day. The doors swung open and I was suddenly having my first experience seeing children of a different color as they got off the bus. I found it a bit weird and that night I asked my Mom what was happening.

Community Power, also known as municipal electricity aggregation, is an emerging opportunity for New Hampshire cities and towns to negotiate lower electricity rates and cleaner energy on behalf of their communities. Community Power offers an alternative to the utility default supply service, and is frequently undertaken to reduce electricity costs, offer a stable rate, provide a responsible alternative to third party supply options, and increase renewable energy in the electricity supply.

Expanding or renovating an athletic complex is never easy. The decision to proceed is often determined by others—or from various sources—and your task may be to help make the project come together. Many of the decisions will involve a variety of stakeholders, some of whom will be inconvenienced by the work, some who will be very involved and passionate, and others who will be less involved than you would like them to be.

Public engagement is a critical component to all infrastructure-related projects and is required by nearly all federal and state agencies as well as municipalities. The engagement process allows each participant to voice their opinion and have their viewpoint considered during the decision-making process, which ultimately shapes our communities’ futures. So, if it is required on nearly every project, why not take a proactive approach that makes participation easily accessible from anywhere as well as offering in-person events that encourage engagement?

The Town of Orford, New Hampshire (Pop. 1,237) is situated along the Connecticut River approximately 20 miles north of the Town of Hanover. In many ways, Orford is a quintessential rural New England town. The town has a rich agricultural history and features some of the finest federal-style architecture in New Hampshire. Like many rural New Hampshire communities, Orford’s residents have long relied on each other to “get things done” in a spirit of pragmatic Yankee volunteerism.