By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — Congresswoman Annie Kuster recently toured the Sugar River Revitalization and Brownfields Redevelopment Project where she not only highlighted $800,000 in secured funds but heard from city officials about a request for $1.5 million in additional funding for more potential improvements.
“We are working with her office to come up with Congressional Directed Spending, what they used to call earmarks,” said Mayor Dale Girard, who was with Kuster on the tour on July 31 along with city council members and city staff. “This $1.5 million would be to continue working on the riverfront project. As much as we’re working on the engineering and cleaning up the brownfield, this is to help us implement the project.”
Girard said the $800,000 is already in the city’s hands, and while the $1.5 million is not guaranteed, it is now on the congresswoman’s radar. He explained that they discussed aspects that the EPA multipurpose steering committee, led by Planning and Development Department Director Nancy Merrill, has been working with the engineer.
“For the $800,000, the engineer is going through the site to figure out what more needs to be done,” Girard said. “The engineer will have a better understanding based upon what can be done. For example, the Synergy site, the old gas plant, that is an area that has been cleaned up but now we are waiting for what can be put into those areas.”
As far as the requested $1.5 million goes, Girard said realistically the city won’t know until the fall. It largely depends on the other projects proposed by members of congress and the urgency of them.
“At this point it is on her list of projects,” he said. “You won’t really know until September or October about whether this will be included in their budget or not. It will go back to committees, and they look at all the projects proposed by different House members. We really don’t know, but we are hopeful.”
Girard said that Rep. Kuster’s recommendation for the project through the Community Project Funding process shows her commitment to the growth of Claremont. In a release by Kuster’s office, Girard called the funding “crucial to the revitalization of our downtown area, which will not only enhance the beauty and functionality of our city, but also provide significant environmental and economic benefits.”
“We are so grateful for Congresswoman Kuster’s support of Claremont,” said Mayor Girard.
The multi-purpose grant of $800,000 was due to the old gas works site being remediated by the EPA and Ameri-Gas, and subsequently the land was given to the city. After testing showed problems with the ground at the manufacturing and heating plants, a conceptual design was put together for future use of the land, according to an Eagle Times report in June 2023.
In 2022 the city contacted the University of Connecticut and utilized the Technical Assistance for Brownfields (TAB) program, who performed environmental studies and worked with the city on creating ideas. In November 2022 the city applied for the multi-purpose grant and it was awarded the following year.
Kuster has secured $3,279,000 in federal funding for the city of Claremont, according to a release from her office. The $800,000 is being put toward designing and planning for ADA accessible pedestrian access points, as well as investing in site work to prepare to host community spaces at the Synergy site that Girard referred to.
Another funding endeavor included $1,466,7000 for the Claremont Access, Restoration, Development and Safety (CARDS) Initiative to reconstruct areas of Charlestown Road. This will include new pedestrian facilities, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, curbs, storm drains, water lines, sewer lines and culverts.
The city has received $963,000 in funds for the Claremont Enhanced Communication and Public Safety Assurance Project, which will enhance the police department’s ability to respond to emergencies across the county.
“We went for six months without a federal budget last year so approval was held off, but Chief Wilmot worked to get that grant through Annie Kuster’s office,” Girard said. “This will revitalize the upgrades to the dispatch area, which we started on three or four years ago.”
There was also $50,000 through the USDA Rural Business Development Grant secured, which goes toward support and technical assistance to local entrepreneurs, establishing a business recruitment and retention strategy, and developing a Sustainable Startup Program for small business growth citywide.
“I’ve always said that when we invest in our local communities, our entire state feels the benefit,” Kuster said in the release. “Public spaces like Claremont’s riverfront are important to the local community, helping spur economic growth and social connection while improving public health. Between these critical investments in public infrastructure and safety and workforce development and affordable housing, Claremont is well-positioned to thrive in the years to come, and I cannot wait to see the positive impacts these projects will have on the community.”
