By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
NEWPORT, N.H. — The Newport Planning Board gave the green light on a final site plan review for NH Electric Cooperative to build a 9,300-square-foot office building near their district office at 604 Sunapee Street. The new structure will have ample office space and help provide more area for the company’s trucks and equipment.
Jennifer McCourt of McCourt Engineering Associates spoke on behalf of NH Electric Cooperative at the planning board meeting last week, giving a presentation to the board highlighting the proposed project. She explained that the building will be adjacent to the existing location, and simply because the company needs more space.
Currently there is a two-bay garage with a small office, which will not be touched, but the new building will have five bays and a much larger office area.
“Everything needs more space,” McCourt said. “It’s really to be able to have room for everybody to be able to make it work instead of having to go down the street and organize there where there’s more room.”
She then presented an artist rendering of the proposed building, which showed the bay doors in the front and a metal roof. McCourt briefly went over the floor plan, which includes a mezzanine to store files and hold an IT room, and an open conference room that she said is one of the most important aspects of the building.
“Besides having more bays for the trucks to keep them inside, having that area for when we have big storms and those concerns,” she said.
McCourt said that the proposed area has been logged so they could do test pits to make sure they aren’t hitting massive amounts of ledge. There is an existing septic on the property that will be reused, as it is only 13 years old and large enough. McCourt said she will need to get Department of Environmental Services approval due to the piping on the property.
She showed the board a grading plan for the site, where stormwater is collected, as well as being sent through to a retention pond.
McCourt said they will be bringing overhead power to the new building with a generator. There will be a holding tank for propane, as well.
“So, this is what we’re going to do. I tried my best to meet your regulations so hopefully we can get approval tonight,” McCourt said.
There was very little discussion among the board members and the final site plan review passed with a 5-0 vote, on the condition that all state agency approvals pass.
