MANCHESTER: New England College is closing its campus in downtown Manchester, a campus that served students in the Institute of Art and Design, which, before it merged with NEC, was called the New Hampshire Institute of Art. The students will be offered spots in what the college says will be an “Art Village” on its main campus about 30 miles away in Henniker. President Wayne Lesperance said the change was due to fallout from the pandemic, which he claims “depressed participation in the arts and arts education nationally.”
NORTH CONWAY: With construction of the new Fairbank Lodge on track, Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway has unveiled the next stage of its base area development project. The new development will be The Lookout, which will include 17 two- to four-bedroom residences and a first aid facility for ski patrol. Of the new residences, eight will be two-story lofted units, and they will range from about 1,170 to 2,490 square feet. It will be the newest addition to Cranmore’s development project, which includes Kearsarge Brook Condominiums I and II and Fairbank Lodge.
CONCORD: Conduent Inc.’s advanced cloud-based system has been implemented by the NH Department of Health and Human Services to process child support payments. The company said the new system, which supports over 31,000 families, adds automated processes for the department’s State Disbursement Unit (SDU) and makes disbursements more quickly and efficiently. The SDU securely receives and distributes child support payments via various methods like debit cards, electronic deposits or checks. The project is part of a 10-year contract renewal. Conduent has supported the state’s child support program since 1998.
CONCORD: A new Concord-to-Laconia bus route will provide transportation for commuters as well as Lakes Region residents. The route runs from Concord, up Route 3, toward the Boscawen County complex, into downtown Franklin to Tilton, at the Tilton Walmart and Market Basket, and on to the Belknap Mall in Belmont and finally into Laconia with a stop at Concord Hospital-Laconia. The Community Action Program for Belknap and Merrimack counties said they hope to begin bus runs by the end of summer 2023, with funding that will cover at least the first year’s operation, at no cost to riders.
LITTLETON: AHEAD Inc., the Littleton-based nonprofit developer of affordable housing, has been awarded $500,000 in tax credits through the NH Community Development Finance Authority to support construction of the Peeling Village project in Woodstock. Peeling Village will include two phases with 59 total units, and will serve a range of income-restricted households. The buildings will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Construction is expected to start mid-2024.
MANCHESTER: Alan Chong is resigning as director and CEO of the Currier Museum of Art, a position he has held for nearly seven years, with plans to move to Asia. Karen Graham, deputy director and chief operating of the Currier, will serve as interim director while a national search is conducted to find Chong’s successor.
LEE: Flag Hill Distillery in Lee has broken ground for a 5,000-square-foot building to house its distillery production as well as a tasting room and store. The new distillery will house a new still for Flag Hill, increasing volume and allowing it to create spirits while increasing energy efficiency. Flag Hill will also provide co-packing services to other distillers. The main stages of construction are expected to be completed by the fall, said Brian Ferguson, Flag Hill’s owner and founder.
RYE: Meghan Wenworth, Benchmark Senior Living’s mind and memory care director, has been selected by Gov. Chris Sununu to serve on the state’s Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia subcommittee. Wentworth is a certified dementia practitioner with 15 years of assisted living with memory care experience. Before joining Benchmark in January, she served as the memory support manager for RiverWoods in Durham, and serves as event chair for the Seacoast Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
