Coos Conversations

How Cool is this???

Picture this if you will. You are driving into Coos County up Route 16 – through the beautiful and panoramic views that Pinkham Notch has to offer. But wouldn't it be nice to have a bird's eye view??? Well now you can!!!! Wildcat Mountain not only has the "Wildcat Express Gondola" where you can ride to the top of Wildcat Mountain, but now it also has a ZIPLINE for those of you looking for an exciting way to ride back down!!! Yes, you read right – a zipline. Just like the ones you see on TV as people soar over the jungles of South America – yes we have one right here in Coos County. 45 miles an hour, soaring over the tops of trees, a river, ski trails and all the while breathing in the clean mountain air that Coos County offers. Does it get any better than this? So for all of you thrill seeking folks, head on down to Wildcat Mountain on Route 16 and have a blast.

World class right out our own back door

Tourism consultant Roger Brooks told us on Friday that Coos County was a world-class destination and while I tend to agree with him based on what I know about the county, I decided that I needed to know more about some of these places that we brag about that I've never been to.  So I headed west on Rte 2 yesterday morning from Randolph and went in search of what had wowed Brooks. Of course just driving west on Rte 2 can lead to some amazing views, but I'd already seen those in just about every season.. I stopped in at Emerson Outfitters because you just have to. Other than Calef's country store in Barrington, where I used to buy penny candy when I was 3, Emerson's is my favorite place to shop in New Hampshire. I realized as I was wandering thru the aisles that what they sell there isn't sporting goods, its the fantasy that you can actually be those fit, smiling, winning athletes that you see on the posters and on your TV.  Whether its a white-water kayaker or a catcher of the world's largest trout, there is something about the selection and layout of the place that makes you think anything is possible.
Unfortunately, the one thing I was trying to find -- a good bicycle map and helmet -- they were out of, so I continued my meandering northward.
The last time I'd been in Colebrook was in the Valentine's Day blizzard, so I wasn't at all prepared for how beautiful and lush the views are in summer. I'd been looking forward to something from the famous French bakery, Le Rendez-Vous in Colebrook, but it was closed on Sunday  -- probably just as well for my diet. I headed up route 3 for Pittsburgh and the Connecticut lakes. The scenic views just kept getting better. I no doubt pissed off a whole bunch of people as I kept pulling over to take pictures. My goal was  the tower on Mt.Magalloway but after getting to the base of Coot trail and starting the climb, I realized I had no idea how far up it was to the top, and my stomach was starting to growl. So I turned around and stopped at Lake Frances State Park. Now there's a gem.. gorgeous water, easy access for canoes or  kayaks... so I pulled out my picnic and had a lovely lunch on the shore. From there I turned on to Rte 145 south and stumbled across Beaver Brook Falls another amazing gem of the North Country.  Just about every inch of 145 south between Pittsburgh and Colebrook offers amazing views, but the falls is where you absolutely positively have to stop. You can walk right up to the falls and dip your feet in the crystal clear water.  I took 26 thru Dixville Notch back to Errol, just to completely OD on beautiful views. I'd never seen the Balsams in high summer and it just gets prettier. Then it was back to Rte 16 thru 13 Mile Woods. I discovered the Paul Bofinger Conservation Area in Dummer -- another hidden gem.  Not sure what the paddling is like, but the very notion that I could be in a kayak about 20 minutes after leaving my desk is pretty cool.  I hit  Berlin just a little past 6 and almost stopped in to see the latest Harry Potter movie at the newly reopened Supreme Cinema, but decided that since I started my day with a 6-mile run and had now clocked over 100 miles in my car, even Voldemort couldn't keep me awake, so I returned to Randolph just as the sun was starting to set. 
My conclusions-- Roger Brooks is right. Coos County DOES have world class attractions -- the trick is finding them. You can see them all here.

Be still my beating French heart

I just got back from the Festival du Bois over at the Northern Forest Heritage Park in Berlin. It was nigh on impossible to tear my feet away from the French Canadian fiddler -- part of a band called Crowfoot, but I wanted to share the event. There's still time to get down there too, since the festivities go until 7 pm tonight.  While the American wimps out there can get hot dogs and hamburgers, those in the know were ordering Poutine and Tete de Frommage and the meat pies -- all cooked up by local volunteers presumably using their mothers and grandmother's recipes. There are some great old quilts, wonderful crafts -- check out the wooden bowls, they are awesome. My favorite moment was running into one of the Boothman Sisters who makes dolls that tell the story of her famly's  history in Randolph. Given that I went running on Boothman Road this morning I couldn't help ask about the connection. Turns out that her father used to own the land that I'm staying in this week. The dolls are wonderful and tell great stories about the early pioneering New Hampshire women that settled the area.

For me the best was the forge. My father started a forge in our back yard when he wanted to build a dock one summer so just the smell of the coal brought back some amazing memories. Frank Chamberlain was working it today and making some really fine looking pokers. It's an amazing process when you think how little it's changed over the centuries.

So if you're wondering what to do today, get on down to the Festival Du Bois. And if you missed it, but it on your calendar for next year.

The Seven Wonders of Coos County

Roger Brooks, the leading expert on tourism marketing, came to Berlin today and revealed the results of his assessment of the county.  It was a fascinating few hours. He drove in thru Pittsburg and then drove thru every major town. It was particularly interesting for  me since he was retracing the path I took when I was first up here last fall trying to find my way around.

He made some great points, the first of which is that we need to get over the Balkanization of the region and work together. Another was that Coos is a world-class destination with Seven Wonders that are what he calls "Primary Lures" 

They are in no particular order:

1. The Mount Washington Hotel
2. The Balsams
3. The Mountain View Grand
4. The Cog Railway
5. The three theme parks: Santa's Village,
6. StoryLand and
7. Six Gun City.

What he observed was that about 75-85% of the license plates in the parking lots of these destinations came from out of state, so these were the places that were getting people to the county. The much more interesting statistic is that while those primary lures get people here, 80% of tourism dollars are spent in other "diversions" such as museums, shops and restaurants. Other "diversions" he identified include the world class canoe and kayak opportunities in Errol (I'd add that there are equally wonderful river experiences to be had in Groveton and Berlin) , as well as local museums, theaters and scenic drives and of course moose.

He addressed the ongoing issue of "The Great North Woods" brand head on, saying that there's nothing wrong with it, but that we need to associate it with a visual image -- an icon. Napa County is just a geographic location, he pointed out, but Napa Valley is Wine Country. The woods are just woods, until we associate them with the iconic views of the Presidentials, or the Androscoggin or the three grand hotels.

Brooks has worked with hundreds of destination, and has some great tips, like a brochure for a Ottawa, a town south of Chicago that sent out a brochure highlighting 18 specific places in town -- restaurants, shops etc. The brochure went out with a letter to all the residents in town saying "We hope that when friends and family come to visit, you share this  brochure with them." His point was that every kitchen counter, living room and front porch should become a concierge for the county. The killer point was that within 90 days, hotel occupancy doubled in town.

Brooks also had great statistics on the ROI of "curb appeal" -- simple things like window boxes, benches and landscaping have resulted in doubling and tripling of sales for some restaurants and stores. He also had very specific advice for Berlin -- get a signage system in place that enables people not just to find their way around town, but tells you what's there. AND clean up the fire debris! Mayor Bob are you listening?   

The best part of the presentation was the specific 10-step action plan that he left us with.

1. Define the Brand and the sub-brands : Figure out what we want to be known for
2. Within that brand, develop the products -- the visuals, the diversions etc.
3. Determine how each community fits in to that brand
4. Dovetail with non-tourism economic development efforts
5. Spell out organizational roles
6. Do PR to get the word of mouth going, do advertising to maintain your position
7. Prepare a detailed budget
8. Define 10-20 year capital project plan
9. Define goals and objectives for 3-5 year plan
10. Define who does what when and where the money is going to come from.

The goal with all of this is not to just get more tourists up here, but to get people up who spend the night, spend more money, and come back and bring their friends. -- Great measures of success in my book.

Not your father's Berlin anymore.

Just in case you thought that Berlin was all about manufacturing and industrial occupations (which is definitely the impression you would have gotten at the city council last night) there is alot more going on in Berlin than you'd ever guess. First of all there is the SureWoman blog which is rapidly becoming one of my standard respites to go to -- a peaceful rejuvenating island in a sea of TMI (Too Much Information). Then there's Osmosis, another business that adds to the North Country's reputation as "Spa Central"  -- a place to go and rejuvenate.
I realize the irony that we're talking about spa treatments and inspirational women just when the annual motorcycle fest: Thunder in the Mountains is about to start -- but just in case you need a break from all that excitement, you can pop into the newly reopened Royal Twin Movie Theater and take in either Shrek 3 or the Transfomers.

Any day is a good day that starts like this

Today was perhaps the most beautiful morning I've experienced in Berlin. The sun was out, the mists were rising on the river, it was perfect running temperature outside, a little cool, but warm in the sun.
Tell me this isn't one of the most beautiful places on the planet? Actually that was a major part of the conversation at the City Council last night, so I must not be the only one who thinks this way.  There is something about the light and the mountains that is just magical. This was what the river looked like as I was crossing the pedestrian bridge.

And of course, I had to pass my favorite garden on the way home. I don't know the gardener's name, but she's one determined lady, bringing color and beauty to every square inch of her lot. She claims she has the worst dirt in town, but on this tiny lot she manages to grow tomatoes, a lovely cascading rock garden and some gorgeous flowers

My favorite trick that I learned from her is that she throws all of her excess perennials onto the vacant lot next door so that they come back in wild profusion the next year. Ten points if you can guess where it is... Hint: it is somewhere along this running route:

Alternative Energy Boost by NH House

The good news? The legislature is adjourned except for a one-day session to pass the buck on solving the education funding crisis. What's good about the adjournment is that they can do little harm while adjourned.

In reality though, fans of alternative energy developments should be ecstatic about a session that advanced the cause and moved the state closer to energy independence. We have a long way to go to reach that goal but at least the legislators recognized the issue as requiring immediate action.

One key victory for alternative energy, especially in Coos County, was actually a defeat.

Defeated was the original intent of SB 140 sponsored by Sen. Gallus and Reps. Theberge and Remich of Coos County. The stated intent was to enable PSNH to build a biomass plant anywhere in the state.

You see, following the state's efforts to deregulate the power industry it forbade PSNH from building another generation facility resigning them primarily to be distribution and transmission operators. They were allowed to maintain their present generation facilities (some hydros, numerous coal burners and the new, Newington plant (a biomass burner).

Instead the NH Legislature overwhelmingly supported heavily-amended SB 140 providing an important shot in the arm to alternative energy investors looking to plow a half billion dollars in wind and biomass energy projects in Coos.

What started as a PSNH-bill was altered by two key amendments and subsequent refinements to the bill.

Most important is language directing the NH Public Utilities Commission to accelerate discussion leading to upgrading the power transmission lines in Coos County that would allow alternative energy companies to ship their power onto the New England Power grid. Presently those lines offer about 51 megawatts of capacity or the output of a good-sized biomass plant.

Already Noble Environmental Power is in the Independent Systems Operator (ISO) queue for new power projects for 100 MW of wind generation from its proposed Phillips Brook project. Depending on what project comes on line first the others could be SOL in connecting and moving their power to market. (Kind of like I-93 from Manchester to Salem being so clogged with cars that other lanes are needed to relieve congestion).

.PSNH last built a generation facility in Newington (near Portsmouth) when it replaced a dirty, soft-coal burning plant at its Schiller Station with an equivalent 50 Megawatt wood-burning plant called Northern Wood Power station. That plant, now in operation, is burning a heavy diet of wood chips trucked in from development projects on Cape Cod and from southern New England.

Efforts to amend the bill from the House floor were thwarted by House Speaker Terry Norelli who ruled the Rep. John Thomas amendment "non-germane" to the bill.

The vote caps a wildly successful session for the alternative energy interests in the 2007 NH State Legislative session.

In addition to SB 140, both chambers supported creation of a Renewable Portfolio Standard which requires all electric utilities servicing NH customers to use increasing amounts of renewable energy in their power supply mix. This in turn creates demand for alternative energy investment meaning wind, hydro, biomass and solar power generators receive incentives, in the way of Renewable Energy Credits, for producing energy from renewable sources. A goal of 25% of the state's power from renewable sources by the year 2025 is part of the operating plan.

But there are several small flies in this sweet medicinal ointment and one is that: there are very few RECs in the current legislation somewhat defeating the incentive for alternative energy investments. Secondly, there is no language addressing efficient operation of any new or existing generation facility.

As I've said in this space previously, most thermal power generators turn fuel into steam which drives a turbine creating electricity. These units are notoriously inefficient (about 30% efficiency) meaning that if they are a biomass plant about 70% of the energy value in each ton of wood chips is pissed off in steam, thermal loss, condensing cycles and so forth. The problem with that scenario is fairly self-evident. Our finite wood resources are gobbled to fuel a wasteful power generation facility.

None of us would purposely buy a 5 miles per gallon vehicle if a 25 m.p.g vehicle were available. Nor would we install a 40% efficient oil burner in our homes. Why then would or should we condone a multi-million dollar power generation facility in our neighborhood that's the equivalent of a 16 cylinder Hummer?

If you are PSNH and operate with a mid 19^th century mindset, making power is your focus. Nowhere in their business plan does the words co-location/co-generation appear. The concepts are too new for them to cozy up to.

I'm not picking on PSNH as I hold any biomass development by the same standards and would amend the RPS legislation in the next (2008) session to address generation efficiency, co-location, co-generation and throw in Renewable Energy Credits for upgrades to transmission lines that support alternative energy generation.

While admittedly a less than perfect bill (the old chestnut about not wanting to watch legislation or sausage being made holds true here), there is hope that the RPS legislation will evolve and mature into a true "green" bill which celebrates local initiatives, weans us from highly politicized and costly imported fuels and advances the causes of conservation and efficiency.

But how do we get from our present Point A to that end point of a truly "green" state energy policy?

Let's count some no-brainer initiatives we could adopt that would have a dramatic impact with little re-engineering to do.    

• Ask the legislature to ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs. Oddly Wal-Mart is the largest seller of energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs spawning an energy conservation effort on their own.
• Ask them to enact strict energy conservation building codes with specifics about appliance efficiencies. (LEEDS and Energy Star are both national building standards that could be mandated for every new home constructed or substantially remodeled in the state).
• Reward major investments in customer energy conservation programs by utilities with incentives. This action is called "decoupling" and a Public Utilities Commission docket is considering this policy right now.
• Move more data-entry jobs to telecommuting functions avoiding needless vehicle travel.
• Encourage district-heating in communities using local energy sources.
• Insist that Renewable Energy Credit eligibility requires high efficiency ratings for generation.
• Insist that any green and clean generation be accompanied by a decrease of dirty generation facilities.

Those are just a couple of talking points for legislators and regulators as they look to further evolve energy independence for the state.

As a region that stands to gain much by alternative energy investments, we as a county, should be looking at ways to benefit from these developments with something more substantial and sustainable than merely jobs and some tax receipts.

Thanks to Peter R. for guest blogging today. 

To guest blog - send your blog in a word doc or email body to mpinard@kdpaine.com

Take to the water in Coos County

If you're into canoeing or kayaking there are some very cool things going on in Coos County this month. Today is the first ever GREAT paddle fest  which promises to be a great introduction to the waters of the Connecticut.
Also starting this weekend is the Source to the Sea -- an exploration of the Androscoggin from its start in Lake Umbagog to Bath, ME. It's an amazing opportunity to learn about the river and all the towns around it.
Today they'll be heading thru 13- mile woods. Here's the schedule: