Select Board members agreed Tuesday to quadruple the request for ConVal’s End 68 Hours of Hunger program.

Among the social service requests for 2025 was $1,250 for End 68 Hours, a program that provides bags of food for schoolchildren to take home on Fridays to help families meet that need on days when school breakfast and reduced cost lunches aren’t available. Town Administrator Nicole MacStay noted that there $31,500 in the town budget is available to support local social services, from which $1,250 was requested by the ConVal School District, which administers End 68 Hours at schools.

“We just read in the paper that food benefits are being cut back. I would highly recommend that we raise that amount to $5,000,” said Select Board member Bill Kennedy. 

"Given all the uncertainly and likely cuts to benefits that folks receive, I fully expect that demand on the welfare budget will be much higher next years, and we may not have these funds to give out depending on what expenses look like next year,” said MacStay.

Voting location change

Due to construction at the Peterborough Community Center, where voting is usually conducted, May 13 balloting with take place upstairs at the Town House from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The board also announced that American Legion Armstrong-Cheney Poast in Peterborough, which has been using the Peterborough Community Center for meetings on the first Sunday of each month, has been granted permission to use the upstairs hall at the Town House for its purposes.

The board also approved an additional $8,990 to a previously approved $36,000 to acquire a boom mower for the town.

“With the original quote (from last July) the company did not have it (in stock,)” said Select Board member Bill Taylor.

Town Planner Danica Melone received permission from the board to submit a grant application for $240,000 to InvestNH for funds to go to Catholic Charities. The Vose Farm Residences development by Catholic Charities has been slow to get off the ground, said Melone, but she announced a collaboration at the meeting.

“The newly created Monadnock Community Hospital and Catholic Charities Limited Partnership will share co-ownership Phase II of the development,” said Melone. The town will apply for the grant and the fund will be turned over to the developer.

Phase II of the development will involve 32 units, 24 of which will have income limit requirements. Melone said that there is already a wait list for these rental units.