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 Preshow #1 Gov BallReturn to index of stories... |
On this New Hampshire Outlook: A special look at the North Country and the high expectations with a new governor at the helm. |
| Hello/Intro Gov Ball Return to index of stories... |
Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. It's long been argued there are two New Hampshires -- the north and the south-- separated more by population and economy than by geography. Governor John Lynch pledges his administration will pay close attention to the North Country's needs and even brought his inauguration celebration to that region. His inaugural ball in Bartlett was the culmination of his first official visit to the North Country during which he met with several citizens groups. As Richard Ager reports, the governor heard a lot about the issues that face the northern part of the state. |
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Talk of NH's North Country usually conjures up visions of wide-open spaces, beautiful scenery, Moose-watching, and logging.with the nearest mall hours away. Defining the North Country can be tricky. All of Coös is included. Many believe the North Country is above the Franconia, Crawford, and Pinkham notches but, the population has swelled so quickly in the southern part of the state -- the Senate district has been enlarged to include some parts of Carroll and Grafton county. Here to talk about the unique challenges the region faces: North Country Senator John Gallus and, Sean O'Kane, The Department of Resources & Economic Development Commissioner,- they're joining us from Concord. And here in Durham with me: Peter Riviere with the Coos Economic Development Corporation and Katie Kelley a North Country Community Activist. Q SEN GALLUS: You're a life long resident of Berlin. Start us off. What is the health of the economy in the North country? Q What is the North Country hoping Gov Lynch will be able to do for the region? |
| No Country Disc Return to index of stories... |
*-======== BETH: TOURISM Is Big Business in the North Country. Steve Barba--the President of the Balsams, a big resort in the great north woods, wants a little help from the state. Here's what he wants the Governor to know: ========== Q CMSR O'KANE: What about that. Is the State receptive to working with ME & VT. and is there money to INCREASE the ad budget? ======= BETH: When you talk Winter Tourism that means SNOWMOBILES. We listened in as a Gorham Selectmen Glen Eastman pitched the Governor on inter-state cooperation with licenses. =============== Beth: What he says is add a surcharge.snomobiliers happy to pay it. Q PETER/KATHY: Will that FLY? ========== Q TOURISM & FORESTRY are INTER-RELATED in the North Country -- Does this lead to conflict: with competing goals? The Timber-Industry's needs vs attracting High-end Tourists who value unspoiled beauty Q The North Country has always had a TIMBER-based economy -- which is problematic when there's an industry DOWN-CYCLE. Seems everyone agrees the economy needs to be DIVERSIFIED. What's standing in the way of that? Q How do you find another strand of economic activity that would allow Coos to grow? Q The Berlin Mills no longer employ the numbers they once did. From 6-thousand jobs down to 600. KATHY: Safe to say Fear of losing MORE mills jobs or wood-cutting and hauling jobs makes everyone shake in Coos County. KATHY: What has that meant in the way of HEALTH care. LOWEST insurance Coverage, Highest Rates? Q Sen GALLUS: No fan of SB110. ======== Q PETER RIVIERE: Let's talk BROADBAND You and Sen Gallus have long LOBBIED for GREATER high speed internet access in the North Country. Why is it so important.? Q MONEY the issuE? Given the state's financial condition is it likely there would be support for such a project? ** Would Southern NH, in effect, be "subsidizing" the North Country. Is that Politically acceptable. |
| Tonight 10:00 Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook: Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen shares what it was like to observe the recent Palestinian elections. Join us tonight at 10:00 only on New Hampshire Public Television. |
| No Country Economy Return to index of stories... |
sen Gregg: to a large degree the state is defined by the north country in my opinion and the character of the north country, which involves jobs in the woods, The announcement throws into question the future of the North Country’s timber-based economy. --- LANCASTER, N.H. - Some state lawmakers are concerned that northern New Hampshire's logging industry is growing too quickly and eventually could cripple itself. They are calling for tighter restrictions. Colebrook state Representative Fred King says this year's logging plans call for sharp increases, threatening the industry's future health. Charlie Niebling, of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, says rapid cutting threatens wetlands and wildlife, could prompt the government to intervene and opens the door to development. But some industry officials and legislators said the concerns were unfounded. Berlin State Senator John Gallus says private property rights are involved. He says he doesn't want to see any over-regulation. broadband CONCORD, N.H. -- Rural areas without broadband Internet access are being left behind as governments and companies across northern New England do more business online, economic development officials say. ADVERTISEMENT "If we want to position the North Country to be economically competitive, we need to create at a minimum what's called a backbone system," said Nancy Berliner, executive director of the New Hampshire Rural Development Council. Such systems usually include ultra-high speed cabling and specialized computers called routers. A committee led by the council is to unveil a telecommunications master plan next month, offering New Hampshire its first big-picture strategy for tackling rural broadband needs. In Vermont, a project is underway to design and build an $8.7 million fiber-optic network across six rural northern counties. In Maine, which already has a statewide fiber-optic network, U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud is working to establish an economic development commission that would include all three states and New York. "We have a lot of companies that rely on the Internet to do defense contract bidding," said Maureen Connoloy, an economic specialist with the Economic Development Council of Northern Vermont. "They need to be able to do it in real time. They can't afford to have a satellite go out, or to miss a last-minute update because they're on dial-up." Berliner and Connoloy said reliable statistics on the level and quality of broadband Internet access in their region are scarce. But there's no doubt access needs to be improved, they said. Broadband growth has largely been piecemeal in New Hampshire's rural North Country. Businesses and individual entrepreneurs often have independently established isolated high-speed Internet links, occasionally with government loans or grants. In a few cases, such links have been the projects of white-collar professionals in creative fields who want a home with rural charm, but also need to live and work in a wired world. One example is a plan by John York, a software writer who works from his Dalton home. He has been talking with the Dirigo Paper mill in Gilman, Vt., to put an antenna on a smokestack to help give the surrounding area wireless Internet access. It would tap excess capacity from the mill's high-speed connection. But demand may be too large for the mill's current connection, York said Tuesday, and talks have been centering around an upgrade. "We may have to go bigger," he said. Berliner said rural parts of northern New England should work to attract more people like York, who can replace middle-class residents leaving the region as manufacturers move elsewhere. She said backbone systems are an essential starting place. "It's the small business sector, and it's the creative area, that really needs to be supported," she said. "Access to high-speed broadband is critical to making that happen." Continued. New Hampshire's master plan is due in mid-February. A draft proposes linking the state's future broadband network to Maine, Vermont and Canada from Colebrook. Additional links would run through Conway to Maine, and Orford to Vermont. ADVERTISEMENT Berliner said access must be affordable to spark economic growth, which she said will require regional cooperation and solutions. Vermont's fiber-optic "ring," named North-Link, will connect to New York, New Hampshire and Canada near Montreal, Connoloy said. She predicted construction would begin this summer and take three years. "It has international impact," Connoloy said. "It's a huge project." She said staple Northern Vermont industries, including agriculture and timber-dependent businesses, are declining while technology-dependent businesses, like health care companies, are growing. She estimates that information services already are nearly 17 percent of northern Vermont's economy, perhaps more. "What that identified for us was a significant opportunity to grow the economy with jobs paying more than minimum wage if we could grow high-speed access," she said. She predicted early phases of the project would generate more than 500 new jobs and help the state keep another 2,000. Vermont's network will be built with excess capacity. "We're not just talking a cable modem here," Connoloy said. "We're talking about real-time video teleconferencing, the ability to participate in international events." Maine is ahead of both states. It already boasts a statewide fiber-optic network, which reaches all libraries and schools, said Elaine Scott, Maine Department of Economic and Community Development marketing manager. But Michaud, a Democrat, said more can be done. His proposed commission would control about $40 million annually in economic development funds. The money would be available for a range of projects, including technology initiatives. "Many of the jobs we have lost in recent years have been in traditional, natural resource-based industries, and this commission could help us to revitalize those sectors," he said Tuesday. "In addition, though, we will also need to invest in high-tech infrastructure to create the jobs of tomorrow." Co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Charles Bass, R-N.H., and Bernard Sanders, a Vermont independent. "Regional economic development commissions have been successful in helping economically depressed regions to invest and create jobs," Michaud said, "and that is exactly what we need to do in the northeast." |
| Web Pointer Return to index of stories... |
Just a reminder if you missed any of this program or would like to watch it again-- New Hampshire Outlook is available online on-demand at nhptv.org/outlook You can also find streaming video of ALL of our broadcasts. |
| key: State Politics/ Government Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 1/26/05 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 11:00 On this New Hampshire Outlook: A special look at the North Country and the high expectations with a new governor at the helm. Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. It's long been argued there are two New Hampshires the north and the south separated more by population and economy than by geography. Governor John Lynch pledges his administration will pay close attention to the North Country's needs and even brought his inauguration celebration to that region. His inaugural ball in Bartlett was the culmination of his first official visit to the North Country during which he met with several citizens groups. As Richard Ager reports, the governor heard a lot about the issues that face the northern part of the state. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Richard Ager NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Rev. Mary Giles Edes\Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Chocorua, Gov. John Lynch\ New Hampshire, Richard Ager\NH Outlook, Ray Burton\Executive Council, District 1, Dr. Dan Shoemake\North Country Education Services, Ron Mulaire\Plant Manager, Isaacson Steel, Steve Griffin\VP, Isaacson Steel, Steve Palmer\Owner, Berlin Building Systems, Dick Huot\Berlin Industrial Development Park Authority, Barney Keenan\College for Lifelong Learning, Gorham, Cathy Conway\Northern Community Investment Corp. |
| key: state politics/ government Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 1/26/05 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 15:00 On this New Hampshire Outlook: A special look at the North Country and the high expectations with a new governor at the helm. Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. Talk of NH's North Country usually conjures up visions of wide-open spaces, beautiful scenery, Moose-watching, and logging with the nearest mall hours away. Defining the North Country can be tricky. All of Coös is included. Many believe the North Country is above the Franconia, Crawford, and Pinkham notches but, the population has swelled so quickly in the southern part of the state the Senate district has been enlarged to include some parts of Carroll and Grafton county. Here to talk about the unique challenges the region faces: North Country Senator John Gallus and, Sean O'Kane, The Department of Resources & Economic Development Commissioner, they're joining us from Concord. And here in Durham with me: Peter Riviere with the Coos Economic Development Corporation and Katie Kelley a North Country Community Activist. PRODUCER/REPORTER: NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Sen. John Gallus \ Senate District 1, Cmsr. Sean O'Kane \NH Dept of Resources & Economic Development,Peter Riviere \Coos Economic Development Council, Kathy Kelley\Community Activist |
| key: economy Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 1/26/05 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 15:00 On this New Hampshire Outlook: A special look at the North Country and the high expectations with a new governor at the helm. Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook. Talk of NH's North Country usually conjures up visions of wide-open spaces, beautiful scenery, Moose-watching, and logging with the nearest mall hours away. Defining the North Country can be tricky. All of Coös is included. Many believe the North Country is above the Franconia, Crawford, and Pinkham notches but, the population has swelled so quickly in the southern part of the state the Senate district has been enlarged to include some parts of Carroll and Grafton county. Here to talk about the unique challenges the region faces: North Country Senator John Gallus and, Sean O'Kane, The Department of Resources & Economic Development Commissioner, they're joining us from Concord. And here in Durham with me: Peter Riviere with the Coos Economic Development Corporation and Katie Kelley a North Country Community Activist. PRODUCER/REPORTER: NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Sen. John Gallus \ Senate District 1, Cmsr. Sean O'Kane \NH Dept of Resources & Economic Development,Peter Riviere \Coos Economic Development Council, Kathy Kelley\Community Activist |
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No UNH stories |
| WEB PROMO Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. . Tonight at 10pm on New Hampshire Public Television. |
| Post Show Log Return to index of stories... |
Wednesday, January 26, 2005: We started just after 3pm. We moved taping up to accommodate our guests on the North Country. All went smoothly. We finished just before 4pm. |