By Barbara Tetreault THE BERLIN SUN
BERLIN — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in Berlin last Friday to celebrate the awarding of a $19.5 million RAISE grant for reconstruction of all the streets and sidewalks in the city’s downtown along with the installation of an innovative snowmelt system.
Buttigieg said he was inspired by Berlin’s tenacity in going after what is formally known as a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant. This was the city’s third application for the grant.
The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., Buttigieg said he knew what it was like to come from a community that had lost a lot of its employers. But he said he also knew what it was like “when a community believes in itself, believes in its future and enlists allies to help do that, and finds its way toward a better day. And that’s part of what’s so inspiring about the story of Berlin.”
Buttigieg said the RAISE grants were very competitive with over $9 billion of applications for $2.2 billion available. In the end, he said 116 were selected — Berlin is the only one awarded in New Hampshire.
The grant will completely reconstruct Berlin’s downtown, from Main and Pleasant streets from St. Anne Church to Green Square, replacing the subsurface utilities, upgrading sidewalks, repaving the streets, fixing two culverts/bridges and landscaping.
What makes the project innovative is the snowmelt component. The city is partnering with Burgess BioPower to heat the streets and sidewalks in winter months, eliminating the need for plowing, snow removal, salt and sanding.
Buttigieg took a tour of the Burgess BioPower plant to learn how the Berlin project will use condenser water from the 75-watt biomass plant that otherwise would be released as steam. The water will be pumped across the river on a specific pipe bridge, circulated through the downtown in underground piping, and then the cooled water will return to the biomass plant to be used again.
Buttigieg said the biomass plant provides a market for low-grade wood by converting it into energy and now the waste heat from that process will be used to make Berlin’s downtown safer and eliminate the need for plowing and salting.
He followed with a quick tour of the downtown, did a meet-and-greet in city hall, and then spoke outside on the East Mason Bridge, which was closed to traffic for the event. Joining Buttigieg on the bridge were U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassen (D-N.H.) and U.S. Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.). Both elected officials supported the bipartisan infrastructure package that provided the money for the RAISE grants. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) had met with city and biomass officials the week before.
“Today is the first day of the new Main Street of Berlin,” Mayor Paul Grenier proclaimed in welcoming the dignities. He praised former City Manger James Wheeler, Community Development Director Pamela Laflamme and the city council for sticking with the project through three applications.
Grenier noted the project drew critics who could not see that the snowmelt plan is only a part of the project and the reconstruction of the entire downtown will be a huge economic boost for the city. Grenier thanked Burgess BioPower for building the biomass plant in Berlin during the city’s darkest days after the mill closing and for being willing to partner on this project.
“This project is certainly a win for the city, but is also a win for the North Country and a win for the entire state,” Hassan said.
Kuster agreed that the project will revitalize the downtown and said that “will go a long way in spurring economic development and helping to grow the recreational tourism economy here in the North Country.”
Adam Hammill, the owner of Exile Burrito Mexican restaurant in the downtown, spoke about the experience of opening his restaurant in the middle of a pandemic and said he supports the snowmelt proposal.
“The new project in Berlin will only increase entrepreneurs’ willingness to give Main Street a chance, and will increase the ability to draw people out to Main Street during our cold winters,” Hammill said.
Buttigieg said the project has already gone through an extensive review to be selected and while there still are steps the community will have to follow, he said he looks forward to signing the final package soon. Grenier said he believes the city will have to phase in the reconstruction work over two seasons to avoid shutting traffic off in the entire downtown.
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