Economic initiatives, projects & new vitality in Monadnock Region of NH

WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE’S BUSINESS. I’M FRED KOCHER. THERE’S A VISIBLE AND PALPABLE ECONOMIC VITALITY IN SOUTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE, IN THE MONADNOCK REGION, WITH JOB CREATION, EXPANDED AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND CHILD CARE AND DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION. NOW, HERE’S A MAP OF THE MONADNOCK REGION COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE, MOSTLY CHESHIRE COUNTY, PART OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. INITIATIVES. TAX CREDITS TO BUSINESSES ASSISTING CHILD CARE EXPANSION, AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRODUCTION, DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS PARKS, REVITALIZATION OF MUNICIPAL DOWNTOWNS. A PARTNER IN THE CREATION OF 13% OF THE REGION’S WORKFORCE. NOW WITH ME IN THE STUDIO IS SOMEONE WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING MAKE ALL OF THIS HAPPEN, CODY MORRISON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MONADNOCK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, BASED IN KEENE, ONE OF NINE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REGIONS IN THE STATE. WELCOME, CODY. NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE. GREAT TO SEE YOU. YOU’VE BEEN I’VE CHECKED ON WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING IN THAT PART OF THE STATE. YOU HAVE BEEN FORGING PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN A LOT OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE JUST PUT UP ON THE SCREEN. OF COURSE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND A CHILD CARE, ACCESS TO CHILD CARE ARE TWO OF THE MAJOR ISSUES THAT ARE PARAMOUNT ACROSS THE STATE. WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE IN YOUR AREA? WELL, THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION, FRED. AND IN REFERENCE TO THE GRAPHIC THAT YOU SHOWED EARLIER THROUGHOUT OUR 40 YEAR HISTORY, MONADNOCK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING GROW JOBS AND CREATE OR HELPING CREATE BUSINESSES IN SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE. AND A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE TOOK A STRATEGIC WE MADE A STRATEGIC DECISION TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE ISSUES THAT WERE IMPACTING OUR PRIMARY CONSTITUENTS, OUR CLIENTS. OUR APPROACH WAS THAT IF WE WANTED TO ACHIEVE OUR HISTORIC MISSION OF HELPING CREATE JOBS, WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS THE ROOT ISSUES THAT WERE CONSTRAINING THE CREATION OF THOSE. RIGHT NOW, HERE ARE A COUPLE OF PROJECTS THAT YOU ACTUALLY ARE WORKING ON. AND LET ME LET’S PUT THAT UP ON THE SCREEN. THE AFFORDABLE WORKFORCE HOUSING IN PETERBOROUGH, COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE TOWN AND CATHOLIC CHARITIES, AND THEN BRINGING HOME A CHILD CARE INITIATIVE, THE CREATION OF TEN NEW HOME BASED CHILD CARE PROVIDERS BY 2028. AND THEN HERE’S A PICTURE OF ANOTHER PROJECT, THE ROOSEVELT SCHOOL, UP ON WASHINGTON STREET. IT’S A HOUSING PROJECT IN AN OLD SCHOOL, AND I USED TO LIVE ON WASHINGTON STREET IN KEENE, SO I KNOW WHERE THAT IS. TELL US ABOUT THAT CHILD CARE INITIATIVE IN PARTICULAR, TEN CHILD HOME BASED CHILD CARE PROVIDERS BY 2028. THAT’S AMBITIOUS. YEAH. SO WE HELPED TO BRING WHAT’S CALLED THE BRINGING IT HOME PROJECT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WHICH IS A HOME BASED CHILD CARE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WHERE WE WORK WITH HOME BASED CHILD CARE PROVIDERS TO HELP THEM THROUGHOUT THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. WE HELP THEM WITH BUSINESS PLANNING. SO FIGURING OUT HOW MUCH TO CHARGE, WHETHER THEY SHOULD INCORPORATE AS A NONPROFIT OR AS AN LLC, WHAT THEY NEED TO BE PLANNING FOR FACILITY EXPANSION. WE ALSO WORK WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS LIKE CHILD CARE, AWARE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER TO HELP THEM GET LICENSED BY THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND WE ALSO WORK WITH THEM ON FACILITY PLANNING. AND SO VERY MUCH AS IF WE WOULD WORK WITH A MANUFACTURING COMPANY OR WITH A RESTAURANT TO HELP THEM PLAN AN EXPANSION. WE’RE WORKING WITH HOME BASED CHILD CARE PROVIDERS TO DO THE SAME. WHAT, CODY, WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN GENERAL THAT YOU RUN INTO? I KNOW THAT ZONING IS ONE OF THEM. IT IS A ACROSS THE STATE, AND THERE’S SOME BILLS IN THE LEGISLATURE THIS SESSION COMING UP THAT WILL DEAL WITH THAT. BUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT YOU FACE? WELL, I’M GLAD YOU MENTIONED ZONING. THAT’S A BIG ONE RELATED TO THE CHILD CARE INITIATIVE, ONE PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT REALLY HELPED ADVANCE OUR EFFORTS WAS THE PASSAGE OF HOUSE BILL 1567, WHICH ALLOWED HOME BASED CHILD CARE BY RIGHT AS AN ACCESSORY USE IN COMMUNITIES. SO THAT IS GOING TO HELP US WITH MANY OF OUR HOME BASED PROVIDERS THAT ARE LOOKING TO START HOME BASED BUSINESSES OR TO GROW THEM, TO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE PLANNING AND ZONING PROCESS. IT’S A LITTLE EASIER FOR WATER, AND SEWER IS USUALLY ALSO FOR HOUSING PROJECTS AND FOR COMMERCIAL PROJECTS. IS A IS A BARRIER AT TIMES, RIGHT? OH, IT’S A VERY LARGE ISSUE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSING OR IN NEW BUSINESSES, NEW FACTORIES. YOU HAVE, WHILE MAYBE NOT AS PRIMITIVE OF AN ISSUE IN THE URBAN CENTERS THAT MAY HAVE MORE SOPHISTICATED AND MORE WELL-FUNDED WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS, SOME OF THE OUTLYING COMMUNITIES IN OUR REGION ARE BEING ASKED AND ARE STEPPING UP TO HELP IN THE IN ADDRESSING THE CHILD CARE CRISIS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE. JUST A FINAL NOTE REAL QUICK. AND YOU KNOW THIS, A FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF YOUR MONADNOCK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS THE NEW INTERIM COMMISSIONER AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS. JAMES KEY WALLACE. I JUST MAKE THAT MENTION, TOO. HOPEFULLY WE’LL HAVE JAMES ON ONE OF THESE DAYS. BUT CODY MORRISON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MONADNOCK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, FRED, NICE TO HAVE YOU ON. IF YOU MISSED PART OF THIS BRIEFING ON THE ECONOMY IN SOUTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE, YOU CAN G