By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
NEWPORT — Newport’s turn is coming up soon to potentially receive state funding to help renovate Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center on the Newport School District high school campus,
Claremont declined an opportunity to apply for state funding to upgrade its half of the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center, allowing Newport to possibly jump up one slot on the state schedule for renovation of Career and Technical Education Centers.
Both technical centers in Claremont and Newport were opened in the fall of 1993.
Starting in 2001-03 New Hampshire has allocated capital funds each year to upgrade technical centers throughout the state. Fifteen have been completed. The Plymouth Applied Technology Center is scheduled to open this fall and RW Creteau Regional Technology Center in Rochester is in progress with funding requested for 2020-21.
The Rochester Center has also requested $4 million for 2020-21. The Wilbur H. Palmer Career and Technical Education Center in Hudson has requested $17 million in 2020-21. It has been estimated that White Mountain Regional High School in Whitefield has estimated it will be seeking $6 million in 2022-23.
Claremont was next on the list with its renovation work estimated at $6 million from the 2022-23 biennium. Now that Claremont is out of the picture, Newport could possibly move into its slot instead of maintaining its current schedule for capital budget funding in 2024-25.
Whatever is decided, Newport voters must give their approval to the plan.
“I want to be up front,” said Linda Wadensten, chairman of the Newport School Board. “By waiting another year the increase could be 6 percent. I think it’s more important to get rolling,” she said.
“You guys are going to have to give us direction,” Superintendent of Schools Cindy Gallagher said at Thursday’s meeting of the School Board.
“I think we need to identify what we are putting out and I think we would be foolish to sit back here and not see what’s out there for help,” Wadensten stated.
“What do you need from us for a time line? What can we do to bring our community into the time line?” said Ann Spencer, a School Board member.
“Concord has to understand Sullivan County and Newport aren’t Nashua and Manchester. We’ll have to rely on business leaders to communicate with Concord,” Gallagher emphasized.
According to Virginia Irwin, a Newport member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and a member of the Newport School Board, the state has historically been providing 75 percent of the funding from its capital budget annually for most programs, leaving local communities to pick up the remaining 25 percent.
“It’s pretty safe the state will always include $22 to $25 million in its capital budget for these programs, Irwin noted.
After Newport, the list includes the agricultural center in Tilton and technology centers in Peterborough and Milford.
A sample construction timeline for a renovation plan starting in 2019 follows:
2019—Application developed based on industry needs, student interest, etc. Collaborative work with architect, teachers, PAC’s to develop building plans, layouts, equipment lists, etc. Renovation project application is submitted to the New Hampshire Department of Education.
1/2020—Receiving board and NHDOE begin working on a Memorandum of Agreement, which sets the amount of the request to Capital Budget.
3/2020—Communities secure a local vote on renovation project.
3/2021—Capital Budget Process: Hearings in front of Public Works, House Finance, Senate Finance and others as needed.
7/1/2021—Capital budget funds become available to approved projects. Receiving board and NHDOE sign a renovation agreement.
Monthly-Quarterly—Receiving board submits monthly reimbursement requests to NHDOE. Receiving board submits quarterly progress reports to NHDOE, which is then compiled into reports for state officials.
Ongoing—NHDOE provides technical assistant to receiving board. Regional Advisory Committee and Program Advisory Committees regularly receive project progress and provide guidance when necessary.
?/?/??—Renovated center opens.
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