The Grapevine Family & Community Resource Center’s Avenue A Teen + Community Center presented a video to Hancock Select Board members Oct. 24.
Avenue A, located on Main Street in Antrim, is the only teen center in the state and offers after-school and evening enrichment programs for rural New Hampshire teens and children in fifth through 12th grade. Its out-of-school enrichment programs are driven by more than 70 local mentor-volunteers, and last year, Avenue A served more than 300 youths ages 11 to 18.
Avenue A Coordinator Jacqueline Roland and Donovan Sweeney, 17, who participates in the center’s programing, presented a video that features interviews with teens involved in Avenue A’s programs. The video, titled “Community, Belonging, Place,” highlights youth as vital members of the community, Roland said.
“That’s how we feel at The Grapevine and how the communities who invest in our programs feel about youth,” she said. “I wanted to share it with Hancock since your community supports us, and I wanted you to see that your investment is impacting our teen’s lives.”
In another matter, Select Board members agreed to accept a $78,222 highway block grant and $83,577 in state aid for municipal bridges.
Resident Tom Shevenell said he would like to see the block grant approved for roadwork that the town is behind on.
“This will supplement the road maintenance paving program,” he said, explaining that it will not supplant what the town is budgeting for.
Select Board Chair Laurie Bryan said the money will “help get us back on track,” adding that the cost of liquid asphalt has “gone through roof.”
The state aid for bridge maintenance was also accepted.
In addition, Police Chief Tom Horne notified the board about a state Department of Justice fund of $500,000 that has been set up for agencies with 10 or fewer officers for a one-time grant of $25,000 to be used for ballistic vests, camera systems or other projects that would be used for a one-time purchase.
Horne said the grant would be best spent on body-worn cameras and that the grant must be completed by the middle of November. The cameras, he said, would need to be purchased ahead of time and the town would be reimbursed if the grant is received.
Horne presented a quote of just over $30,000 for the cameras and asked the Select Board if a warrant article could be created for $31,000 to purchase the cameras with $25,000 to be reimbursed through the state.
“It’s a much better option than what was offered by the Department of Safety,” Horne said. “That was a 50 percent match and you had to buy them up front. This is a one-time purchase with a specific dollar figure and it’s much more cost effective for the town.”
The board approved Horne’s request to move forward with the grant.
The board also heard a brief presentation from Richard Haskins, a liaison for the Conservation Commission, about a recent forestry consultation regarding town land off Route 202. The forestry consultant, Haskins said, was hired to provide best practices regarding the use of the trees and to increase the yield of the property in order to make improvements for outdoor activities.