This year in review begins with the demolition grant for the St. Patrick School building being awarded and approved through the governor and Executive Council — the first cooperative agreement between a developer and municipality for the grant award. The Planning Board approved a subdivision and site plan that includes 28 market-rate townhouse units and 30 workforce units in the fall of 2024, partnering with Keene Housing.
Demolition began in April after considerable assessment and abatement work, when it was determined there were Polychlorinated Biphenyls, or PCBs, in the paint of the school. Assessment work was done through a federal Environmental Protection Agency brownfield grant. Demolition costs were shared through the InvestNH grant and MJ & MJ Realty, the developer of the project. Construction on the market rate units is expected to begin in the spring.
Concurrently, EPA grant-funded assessment and cleanup continued at the W.W. Cross site at 39 Webster St. A demolition contract was approved for this as well this year. Workers demolished the building down to its foundation to allow for soil testing. In addition to the EPA funding, the town secured additional funds from the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation. While initial reports for the soil remediation have been developed, the state Department of Environmental Services and EPA recommend having a more specific re-use plan before cleanup begins. As such, a request has been posted for redevelopment proposals. The town, based on public input, is requesting projects which could include housing, youth services such as Head Start and community benefits such as a pharmacy or other commercial use.
The pre-construction meeting for the Route 202 traffic improvement project also took place in the first part of the year. The project required groundwater assessment and cleanup near Blake Street, the result of prior land uses. Work slowly ramped up through the summer, with the project manager providing weekly updates posted to Jaffrey’s Facebook page. Over the summer, several “roundabout walkabouts” were held to clarify project impacts and improvements for downtown. The presentation is on the town’s website at tinyurl.com/nhhn4h2e.
As work has paused for the winter, the walkabouts will start up again in the spring. The project is moving through three construction phases, with the first being the
construction of the bridge, second, the rebuild of the Blake Street Parking lot and the smaller roundabout on River Street, and the last involving the large roundabout at the five-way intersection in front of Rite Aid.
The town, working with Toole Design Group, VHB, project engineers and the state Department of Transportation have designed a project far above what residents might have gained from a standard highway project, according to those involved. The additional design work and installation are incorporated into the final construction package and paid for through the Downtown Tax Increment Finance District.
Further interest in road and pedestrian safety projects includes the upgrades to the sidewalks along Peterborough Street. That project has been approved with bids received for construction next spring. The town completed sidewalk construction along Stratton Road and Howard Hill Road as well.
Cold Stone Springs, a joint venture with Peterborough, provides a secure water source for both towns at a yield of 577,000-plus gallons per day. A ribbon cutting was held in August after final touches were put on the plant. Another major water improvement is the new treatment system for the Turnpike Road well to address the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS, contamination in one of the wells.
Finally, 2025 brought the move to the new Town Hall at 28 Main St. The purchase and
renovations were not on the taxpayers’ bill because the town had been saving for years through the Capital Reserve Fund for Municipal Facilities and an unexpended surplus fund balance.
Kudos on an eventful year.
JoAnne Carr is the Development Projects Coordinator for the town of Jaffrey’s Planning and Economic Development department.