The meeting started at 6:00. Members present were Scott McCaskill (chair), Matt Monahan (CNHRPC, via Zoom), Jim Bibbo, and Stan Ovrevik. Also present were Karen Hambleton (Town Administrator, via Zoom) and Beth Downs (Select Board). Joining us by Zoom was Theresa Pinto of the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
The meeting was devoted to a wide-ranging talk given by Theresa on some of the things that Bradford could do to support and encourage development, and ways in which the Department might help.
She talked about town web sites, how important it is to make a web site easy to navigate, to have all the necessary documents online, to make the town appear to be “open for business”. She stressed the need to learn about the various federal and state designations that could apply to our town, and the need to learn what programs and grants might be available. We need to learn how to appeal to prospective residents and visitors.
She spoke for a while about the recent restructuring of the old Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED). Her department, the BEA, is one of the newly-created departments, and is dedicated to attracting new businesses to the state. She described the various state offices and the programs and services they now offer.
Her entire talk lasted for a bit over an hour.
In the question period afterward, Stan Ovrevik asked about ways of attracting employees, while noting the lack of affordable housing in town. Theresa mentioned a couple of programs that might be useful, and encouraged him to get in touch with her by email to follow up.
The meeting ended around 7:15.
Copyright © 2024 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes