LITTLETON — Main Street in Littleton is a vibrant array of storefronts, arguably among the nicest in the state, which seems to have it all.
The street is lined with small boutiques, an amazing candy counter, stately buildings, a classic diner and a back side facing the Ammonoosuc River.
But both the brickyard front side and back side are facing challenges with not enough workers – in part due to the cost of housing – not as much foot traffic as merchants would like and other financial issues.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH, visited with community leaders and small-business owners to hear concerns and consider what she can do in Washington to help.
Goodlander, a member of the House Small Business Committee, toured the downtown, where she learned about the town’s struggles.
On the municipal side, she heard about infrastructure challenges, a loss of federal assistance and a downshifting of costs that may lead to higher taxes.
She also heard stories of a lack of a safety net for the neediest, which seems to be unravelling as resources are being underfunded.
Attending the roundtable discussion at the Littleton Community Center were: Littleton Police Chief Paul Smith; Fire Chief Chad Miller; Town Manager Troy Brown; selectboard members Ed Cherian and Kerri Harrington; State Rep. Jared Sullivan, D-Bethlehem, who is also a Littleton business owner; staff from the North Country Health Consortium; and Littleton Community Center Executive Director Barbara Buckley.
“I just want to hear how I can be helpful … and come up with a to-do list,” Goodlander said.
Aging infrastructure was the first issue discussed, with Brown saying the town is grappling with work on its wastewater treatment plant.
There were neglected repairs and some failures at the end of the summer, he said, and a loss of equipment forced the town to truck out material at a cost $20,000 a week.
The town held a special town meeting and received a $2.5 million bond, but it could take another six to nine months to purchase the specialty equipment needed.
There also are road issues that have been put on hold until the underground issues are first addressed. The town has an annual budget of about $600,000 for paving and sidewalks, and that won’t go as far as it used to, Goodlander was told.
Miller said a concern for his department is equipment and protection from PFAS contamination, and Goodlander said she has a bill aimed at addressing that.
There are 26 firefighters, including 16 hourly workers, and they now cover Franconia, Easton and Sugar Hill for EMS coverage.
“We are seeing a lot of pressure (due to a lack of firefighters),” Miller said, noting that Littleton has 575 square miles of initial response coverage – an area from St. Johnsbury, Vt., to Woodstock – due to the shortage of firefighters in the North Country region.
Miller said a concern he has is training access and availability. The state won’t enroll students without prerequisites and they are competitive placements.
Smith said the federal government is creating a task force of officers for enforcement, but on social issues it is a bit different. He said a lack of housing, drug abuse and mental-health concerns are issues the community is grappling with.
The town had hoped to appoint a school resource officer through federal COPS grants, and though the grant was approved, the selectboard brought it to a town meeting and it was not supported.
Smith said the community had to vote to create the position, but instead of receiving federal funds for 100 percent of the cost the first year, 75 percent the next and on down, the total grant was $130,000 and was turned down by voters.
It is a community of 6,000, Smith said, but as a hub community it is more like 18,000 people come and use the resources, whether they are tourists, shoppers or coming for regional services.
Goodlander said all programs are vulnerable.
North Country Health Consortium representatives were told they lost almost all of their federal funding, including a CDC grant that was clawed back with two days’ notice.
“The federal funding is not there for us,” said Annette Carbonneau, director of Community Health Programs at the Consortium. “We are a nonprofit. We have let down hundreds and hundreds of people.”
Also attending from the consortium was Senior Program Manager Amber Culver. Her program’s website reads: “Due to the recent loss of COVID-19 Health Disparity federal funds, the Ways2Wellness Connect program has unfortunately lost its funding and will be ending client services.
“Beginning in 2017, this program has served the North Country community, working with hundreds of clients to improve access to care, address social needs and support overall well-being.
“We continue to seek clinical and financial support and remain open to conversations with potential partners. We recognize the vital role this program has played in the community, and we remain committed to exploring opportunities to secure funding and potentially reopen in the future.”
Culver told Goodlander and her staff the story of an 88-year-old Colebrook woman with a disabled son who lost her community health worker to help her stay in her home, and the answer from the federal government was empty.
Goodlander urged the consortium to reach out to her office in such cases.
She said the more concrete the information that is provided, the better.
Selectboard member Harrington said the region is facing a lot of issues and health care is at the top.
“I worry about people getting the health care they need,” she said. “We have to really redo health care. People are struggling with costs.”
Low incomes in the region are also a problem.
In addition, housing is a key issue.
Rep. Sullivan said there are small housing projects under development, including one at the old emergency veterinary clinic. The initial project was for four units, but only three were approved.
Selectboard member Cherian said town infrastructure is the top issue. The town has its own utilities, which have some of the lowest municipal rates in the country.
Cherian said the influx of tourism is “a double edge sword,” with the town tripling in size depending on the season.
“We no longer get Canadian tourists,” he said.
The police chief said it would be extremely problematic if Canadians were coming because of the high number of tourists in the high season.
He said merchants would tell Goodlander they have lost a lot of traffic due to the loss of Canadian visitors since the Trump Administration tariffs were imposed.
“You cannot plan if you have no idea what it will cost,” Cherian said.
Cherian also said the town’s fuel budget was set out long before gas prices went up because of the war with Iran, and that is going to have an impact.
Brown said the state has been downshifting and it is going to be hard to level the budget for next year.
Goodlander said the federal government is also “downshifting on you.”
“We are asking you to do more and more with less and less,” she said. “You should be directing this to the federal government. This would be worth chronicling and writing to me.”
Sullivan said he is probably going to have to raise rents for the first time ever, adding that he was not speaking as a legislator but as a businessman.
“I will see what the tax bill is, but I am getting to the point where I can’t not raise it,” he said. “This winter crushed me with the plowing and the heating.”
After the roundtable discussion, the group joined Goodlander on a tour of Main Street businesses, including a book store.
