Marina Coneeny asked that the following reminder be brought to your attention. If you wish to have input, remember that the deadline is this Friday. – Lil
Following the public hearing held in the Walpole Town Hall on July 13, 2015, at the request of the public, the entire Market Survey, commissioned by the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) was made available for review online.
The petition highlights the serious flaws in the project as noted in the survey, and will be submitted to the board for the NHHFA but the Friday deadline..
The project flaws, as well as the unsafe location on Route 12 for families with children, bring into question whether this allocation is the best use of NH taxpayer resources.
If you would like to read the entire market survey document, go to:
http://www.nhhfa.org/news/notices/AbenakiSpringsMarketStudy.pdf
The NHHFA is mandated to receive public comments only until Friday, July 24, 2015.
Please express your views on this matter URGENTLY by email to:
The Walpolean 
Great food and good meeting. Got voted vice chair which I am not happy about, but will deal with it. I was secretary last year which was a lot of work. Last years vice chair didn’t have to do anything, hope I am as lucky.
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Thank you for this posting Marina.
Would it also be possible to please send a copy of comments to me at eric.merk47@gmail.com.
The reason is that we will be gathering copies of the petitions, letters and commentf from folks in town and presenting them to the Governors office, the NH Executive Council and senior members of the NH House of Representatives.
The NHHFA cares not about Walpole or the children who will be living in this project. WE were told the the word SAFETY in their regulations pertains only to the apartment building NOT THE SURROUNDING AREA.
In addition, they are refusing to release the transcript of that meeting until AFTER our comment date has expired !
Thank you all for caring.
Eric Merklein
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The Avanru Development Housing Project has garnered a significant amount of concern among the residents of Walpole, not the least of which are safety concerns for the present and future residents.
In our opinion, there are numerous flagrant errors that occurred during the processing of approval for the Avanru Housing Development at both the local and state level:
Failure to conduct an Independent Impact Safety Analysis to determine, among other things, highway capacity and public safety along the busy Route 12 corridor in Walpole
The Traffic Study relied upon by both local and state officials was commissioned in 2011 – four years old when the Renewal Application for the Development was approved in 2015
Housing Authority’s own market study indicates that there is not a need in this area for Low Income Housing:
Walpole’s rental vacancy rate is 8.4%
According to this study, 40% of “recruited” renters live in Rockingham and Westminster, VT
An explanation, other than the customary rhetoric, “people are free to move around” is due the NH Taxpayer regarding the recruiting of out-of-area and out-of-state residents to fill this housing project. In our opinion, as a middle class, or shall we say “fading class” taxpayer, we find it reprehensible and fiscally irresponsible given the severe state budget constraints we are facing. It appears that the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority is seeking to justify the waste of tax dollars on a project that by their own study, substantiates that the need does not exist. Every tax dollar SHOULD be considered and ONLY funding of needed and justified Housing projects SHOULD be funded.
For all the above reasons, we respectfully request that the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority Board deny Avanru Development’s application.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet & Philip Hicks
Walpole, NH
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