The towns of Jaffrey and Peterborough officially opened the Rodney Bartlett Water Treatment Facility at Cold Stone Springs Thursday morning in Jaffrey.
The new facility is located on Chamberlain Road.
“As far as we know, this project is the first of its kind in New England, where it is jointly owned by two towns, and was purchased, designed and developed by two towns, the town of Jaffrey and the town of Peterborough,” said Peterborough Town Administrator Seth MacLean. “These are very expensive projects, but when communities can get together, and when there are strong champions, it can be done. This facility represents a model for the future of water projects in New England.”
The facility is named for longtime Peterborough Director of Public Works Rodney A. Bartlett, who died in 2023.
Peterborough Town Administrator Nicole MacStay said she and Bartlett started working for the Town of Peterborough at around the same time, in 2006.
“This is a project that really represents Rodney and who he was as a person. The things that excited him about the work were public service, bringing people together, and doing the things that needed to get done. And he got to do that here,” MacStay said.
MacStay said Bartlett was deeply passionate about the Cold Stone Springs project, and even put off his retirement in order to see the project completed.
“It breaks my heart a little bit that we have to dedicate this project to Rodney’s memory, instead of having him here today,” MacStay said. “This was his project, from when he first started to talk about it in 2012, until today. He so very much would have wanted to be here today.”
Many members of Bartlett’s family, including his widow, Linda, and two of his children were present at the ceremony.
Other official guests in attendance included state Senator Denise Ricciardi, State Representatives Bill Boyd, Jim Qualey, and Rita Mattjson; Pamela Slack, who represented Senator Jeanne Shaheen; Adam Crapo, Assistant Commissioner of NH DES; and Peter Pitsas, Senior Engineer at Underwood Engineering.
Peterborough Select Board members Tyler Ward, Bill Kennedy and Bonnie Tucker, and Franklin Sterling and Charlie Turcotte of the Jaffrey Select Board were also present.
MacLean specifically thanked Tony Cavaliere, Superintendent of Utilities for the Town of Jaffrey, Nate Brown, Director of the Peterborough Water Department, the “entire Jaffrey utility staff,” Jaffrey town administrator Jon Frederick, and MacStay for their contributions to the project.
“Hundreds of people helped with this project over the past seven years, from site workers to people who were signing checks all over the state, and I want to sincerely thank each and every one of them, including people I did not get a chance to name,” MacLean said.
Frederick described the “very difficult funding scheme” which enabled the project to happen. Frederick credits Bartlett with masterminding the process that enabled the project to be fully funded, including a $1M grant from the Northern Border Region Commission.
“The Town of Jaffrey was eligible for Northern Border Region Commission funds because we are in Cheshire Country, and our socioeconomic status made us eligible for many different funds Peterborough was not eligible for,” Frederick said. “It took a lot of different agencies with a lot of different grants to get this going.”
The $12.5 M project received support and funding from the Drinking Water and Ground Water Trust Fund, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, and a Community Development Block Grant. The project was also supported by a major contribution from MilliporeSigma.
Frederick thanked David Poggi and David Nichols of MilliporeSigma for their support of the project.
“MilliporeSigma offered to pay the note with the state revolving fund, to cut it in half from a 20-year- to a 10 year note, to the tune of $1.5M,” Frederick said. “That was really what got us in the game.”
The completion of three new wells, the treatment facility, and 14,000 feet of water main has been under construction since 2021. Peterborough and Jaffrey will share the cost of all future operations.
Two of the wells are located in Sharon, on previously private land that was purchased for the project. Sharon does not have town water and will not receive water from the plant.
Bill Boyd, state representative from Hillsborough and chair of the New Hampshire Drinking Water and Ground Water Advisory Commission, praised Bartlett’s role in the project.
“We celebrate Rodney’s overall role in the architecture of this project. He is remembered as a thoughtful and valuable commissioner on the Water Trust Fund, a resourceful and impactful colleague in the areas of public finance and civil engineering, but most importantly, a loyal friend to the people he served. It is fitting that we honor his memory today,” Boyd said.
Adam Crapo , Assistant Commissioner of the New Hampshire DES, said the project was “not just a convenience, but a necessity.”
“This project will serve Peterborough and Jaffrey for generations to come. The community, the state, and the federal government worked together for something that provides a substantial public benefit to our citizens,” Crapo said. “We rolled up our sleeves and we all got this job done together, and that is something that is unique to this project. “
Crapo called the project “a shining example of how this could be done across the state.”
“All of the funding sources recognize that is a unique project; they knew we were going to get the job done,” Crapo said. “It is importat to note that all of this has been completed without using tax dollars or increasing water rates, and that is also unique. It is a huge win for the local community.”
Crapo said the new water source should make it easier to attract new businesses to the region, as well as increasing the potential for new housing.
“Millipore has been a significant partner in advocating for more housing development, which is sorely needed in this part of the state, and in the entire state,” Crapo said. “That is an amazing feat, and you did it in a phenomenal amount of time.”
Both Peterborough and Jaffrey had been searching for new water sources after industrial contamination, including PFAS, was discovered in wells in both towns over the few decades. Both towns had to take municipal wells offline due to contamination in recent years.
According MacLean, it took Peterborough “about a decade” to locate the new aquifer at Cold Stone Springs.
Pamela Stack read a letter from Jeanne Shaheen, which praised the “vital investment in water infrastructure for the Monadnock Region.”
Senator Denise Ricciardi read a recommendation from Senator Kelly Ayotte.
“The governor was very disappointed she could not be here today,” Ricciardi said.
The Governor Ayotte’s commendation stated that “the towns of Jaffrey and Peterborough have demonstrated outstanding collaboration and foresight in the completion of the Cold Stone Springs project. This project represents a critical investment in public health and infrastructure.”
Ricciardi said “clean, reliable water is not something that just happens.”
“You all came together, you rolled up your sleeves, and you got this project done. It is amazing what you can do when you work together, and we all need to remember that,” Ricciardi said.
Peter Pitsas of Underwood Engineering described the new plant’s capability for supplying either town.
“Not only is it supply for each town, it is an emergency source of water for each town, so that is very important. Jaffrey is higher elevation, so it can send water to Peterborough with the pressure, but Peterborough can also send water to Jaffrey in an emergency,” Pitsas said. “That is pretty unique.”
The event concluded with a tour of the new facility. For more information go to https://townofjaffrey.com/478/Water-Division.
