Avery Hill Solar Project Energy-efficiency is important to us and to the people we serve. It’s not just about being “green.” Census and federal energy data show that energy expenditures by low-income households in the Lakes Region eat up 34% to 37% of household income. Unfortunately, this means that there are many families in our region who probably have to choose between paying their electric bill and buying groceries or medicine. Our Avery Hill Solar project in Laconia will eliminate that issue completely for 12 families. Thanks to a generous gift from the Thomas W. Haas Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, we were able to complete a solar feasibility study for all of our scattered site properties in Laconia. The study showed that six of the seven buildings at Avery Hill are excellent candidates for solar PV systems. Avery Hill was one of the first properties that we redeveloped in Laconia back in the early 1990s. It is a cluster of duplexes up near the hospital. At present, the families at Avery Hill pay for electricity separately from their rent. After we install the solar system, we will be able to include electricity in the monthly rent at Avery Hill. On average, this will save each family about $650 per year. Roof repairs are now underway at Avery Hill and the solar panels will be installed in the fall. We are extremely grateful to the Thomas W. Haas Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for a second grant to install the system at Avery Hill. We used this grant to leverage funding from the state’s Renewable Energy Fund – Grants for Community Solar program and a low-interest loan from NH Community Development Finance Authority’s Clean Energy Fund Ribbon Cutting On June 26th, we cut the ribbon on our latest healthy housing project, Gilford Village Knolls III. GVKIII provides 24 affordable apartments for seniors in the heart of Gilford Village. Residents are scheduled to move in this week. GVKIII is the third phase of the Gilford Village Knolls campus, which was the vision of a local citizens group that formed in the 1980s to develop affordable housing for seniors in Gilford. Tony Ferruolo, Chair of the Gilford Village Knolls Trustees, was on hand to welcome the crowd of 70 at the ribbon cutting. He noted that the Trustees started working on GVKIII in 2007 when the land first became available. After encountering difficulties in assembling the financing required for construction, the Trustees turned to Lakes Region Community Developers who had many years of experience using the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is ultimately where 70% of the funding for GVKIII came from. Jason Hicks, Chair of the Board for Lakes Region Community Developers, noted that the organization has evolved over its 25 year history. “In addition to responding to changing demographics, we are responding to the need for resilient buildings. GVKIII represents the pinnacle of our efforts; it is the first multi-family property in the State of New Hampshire to be constructed to the Passive House building standard.” Special thanks were given to Stewart Associates Architects during the event. Stewart Associates had already designed the building before Community Developers became involved. When they decided to pursue Passive House standards with the blessing of the GVK Trustees, Stewart Associates quickly got up to speed on Passive House and modified the building design. Other members of the development team for GVK III include DEAP Energy Group; Steven J. Smith & Associates; Martini Northern; GDS Associates; Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green; and Stewart Property Management. GVK III was financed by Northern New England Housing Investment Fund, New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, NeighborWorks America, and Rural LISC. Meet Corey Hoyt, New Board Member  Corey has been in the higher education marketing field since 2010 and currently serves as Assistant Director of Marketing, Communications & Creative Services at Plymouth State University. Before joining PSU, he worked for an educational technology company, 2U, as a brand manager for online graduate programs, and in marketing and recruitment for Georgetown’s graduate business and law programs. A graduate of Laconia High School, Corey moved away for college, graduate school, and to begin his marketing career before ‘boomeranging’ back to the Lakes Region to purchase his first home in downtown Laconia. Passionate about higher education, Corey is an adjunct instructor of marketing at Lakes Region Community College. He earned his bachelor’s in marketing from Johnson & Wales University; a master’s in Communication, Culture & Technology from Georgetown University; and is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of New Hampshire. Corey had this to say about joining the board: "Safe, affordable housing for young families, individuals, and seniors is a critical need in our region and the state. Lakes Region Community Developers is making strides with a strong, active staff in addition to responsible, hardworking tenants that represent a large portion of the workforce and community. These were qualities that drew me to LRCD; an organization with a demonstrated impact in the region that sets the standard for outcomes supporting families across the state. I’m proud to join and support the cause." DipJar at Watermark Marine Supply  Its on the move again! Find our DipJar at Watermark Marine Supply for the month of July. You can get everything you need for your day on the lake and do your good deed for the day! Building Community at River's Edge Tim Hindman from Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Blind and Visually Impaired came to visit the residents of River’s Edge for their weekly coffee hour on June 19th. Tim shared information about different eye diagnoses and what they mean, how to communicate with your eye doctor, and what equipment is available to help make life with a visual impairment easier. Residents were surprised to learn that your vision starts to change and decline at age 40! If you’d like to connect with Tim for visually impaired services, contact your Resident Services Coordinator, Kerri Lowe at 524-0747 ext. 103.  Building Community at Lochmere Families at Lochmere Meadows got a special visit from Tricia Tousignant from the Family Resource Center of the Lakes Region for Happy Sounds, a music and movement playgroup. Children, parents and grandparents had a magical time singing, dancing and being just plain silly! If you are interested in playgroups, parent education and other social opportunities for you and your family, contact Tricia at [email protected] or 528-0391.  Give the Gift of Family Fun Don’t forget to register your foursome for our 3rd Annual Putt Putt Tournament on Saturday, September 29th from 10AM to 2PM at Pirate’s Cove Winnisquam. If you can’t make the tournament, you can still support this critical LRCD fundraiser by sponsoring a team for one of our tenant families. For some families, a day of mini-golf and lunch out is just too expensive. Your $100 sponsorship makes it possible for one of our families to enjoy a fun day out together, which is important for family bonding. Click the orange button below to sponsor a team. Thank you!  Green Tip - Cloth Napkins As a NeighborWorks America Green Designated Organization we have incorporated green practices across all lines of business. As an organization it is important to us that we remain steadfast stewards of our precious resources and inspire our neighbors to see the value and ease of incorporating green practices into their lives. We hope you enjoy our monthly Green Tip. Cloth napkins are more durable (one cloth napkin will make it through a lot more BBQ sauce than a paper one!) but ditching disposable napkins will also save plenty of money over the years. It’ll also reduce your trash output, which means less energy is used transporting and processing your waste. Using recyclable paper napkins is good for the planet, but it’s even better to not have anything to recycle in the first place. Plus, cloth napkins make dinner feel oh-so-fancy. Click the links below for additional information:  Comments are closed.
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193 Court Street, Laconia, NH 03246 • 603.524.0747
© 2019 Lakes Region Community Developers