North River Street Building from the Ground Up By Alexis Myers

News Editor

Published: Friday, October 25, 2013

Updated: Thursday, October 31, 2013 02:10

CLOCK PHOTO / BRITTANY ANGELO

It can be difficult for some people to leave their homes, even a home that has been severely

damaged by a natural disaster such as Hurricane Irene. Hurricane Irene heavily impacted the lives

of many people living in the town of Plymouth and Holderness back in August 2011.

“As far as I know, PSU has acquired two, perhaps three, properties on North River St. They have

offered to consider purchasing any home that an owner wants to sell. So, it is a voluntary thing,”

stated Doug McLane, Co-Owner of Off Campus Rentals.

The project, entitled “North River Street Residential Buyout,” teams together The Federal

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Plymouth State University to take care of the people

that were affected on North River Street by selling their homes, and relocating them to some place

safer.

“No one should be too upset about what is happening, because PSU is not taking properties against

an owner’s will, but they will pay a fair (usually assessed) value for the home and land,”

added McLane.

It is FEMA’s mission to encourage all homeowners that are in affected communities to be sure that

they are educated with the buyout process so they can make the best decision for their families and

their communities.

It is important to note that FEMA does not buy houses directly from the property owners. According

to the Department of Safety Office of the NH Commissioner, “Plymouth State University has

identified 3 properties that were more than 50% damaged by tropical storm Irene and have a high

priority for mitigation in the community.”

As of right now, PSU is complying with the project review and the conditions set by FEMA. PSU is

being provided with a hazard mitigation grant to acquire and demolish three properties on North

River Street. All work and closeout of the project should be finished by January 2016. The University

is responsible for 25% of the shared cost of the project.

As a result of the removal of these homes on North River St., Phase Five of the Active Learning,

Living, and Wellness (ALLWell) Center will come into fruition and be carried out to create a riverfront

view of the Pemi River. The land will be made into a green space for the town of Plymouth

and Holderness.

“If approved, the ALLWell project will be built within our current land boundaries. Some homes were

damaged beyond repair when that area flooded in 2011. Working with FEMA, one homeowner has

agreed to sell us their home for the land value. That home will be torn down because it is not

currently safe to live in,” said Jim Hundrieser, Vice President for Enrollment Management and

Student Affairs.

By law, that property, now public property, must forever remain open space land. The community

can use it to create public parks, trails, etc., but it cannot be sold to private individuals nor

developed.

“I sold my home, and recently moved. It’s a great opportunity for people who live on or near

hazardous areas to get to a safer place,” said North River Resident, who wishes to remain

anonymous.

“There are some owners that have expressed interest in selling their properties, and we are open to

discussing that with them. There are no plans to take down any homes on North River except a

home that is vacant and currently owned by PSU,” said Julie Bernier, Provost and Vice President for

Academic Affairs, and Professor of Health and Human Performance.

A controlled fire took place on North River Street last year, which was a property that PSU owned.

That has been the first home, and only one to date, demolished on North River Street.

“We are presenting to the board of trustees this Thursday and Friday asking for approval

of ALLWellNorth (Phase Two). This project will house our field house, Outdoor Recreation Center,

and allow for additional HHP academic space,” said Hundrieser.

The demolition of the homes on North River Street will be the last part of the ALLWell project, “The

key is you do it when you have a person that wants to work with FEMA to buy their house, it doesn’t

happen all at once,” said John P. Clark, PSU Athletic Director.

The new field house will include a lot more classrooms, a weight room, wrestling room, a pool, and a

full 200-meter track, as well as new parking and fields. “The new buildings will hit our boundary line

[the chained linked fence] but will not go onto North River St. The buildings are going take up four

times as much space as the Fieldhouse now,” said Clark.

The current Fieldhouse will be the last building to be torn down, and replaced by Phase Three

(Aquatic Center) of the ALLWell Center. As part of this process, the fields are to be replaced, some

with turf and others will be natural grass.

“If the plans for the ALLWell Center get carried out, there will be seven new fields put in, three turf

and four grass. The baseball field will be turf, as well as the football field, and another, the rest will

be practice fields,” said Clark.

It is important to note that everything going into the ALLWell project if very strategic, time sensitive,

and depends on the amount of funding as well. All of this is to improve the University, along with the

towns of Plymouth and Holderness as a whole.

The Health and Human Performance (HHP) Department is PSU’s third largest department, offering

five majors and four minors, some of which include, athletic training, exercise and sport physiology,

and physical education. With the installment of each phase of the ALLWell Center, these students

will be able to have more classrooms and be given the opportunity to be have a more hands-on

learning experience due to athletics being in the same facility.

“The whole idea of the ALLWell project is for the (HHP) Department and PSU Athletics to work

closely together and do a lot more as a whole. It is natural for these two to be working together as a

unit,” said Clark.

The ALLWell project will also help reduce the amount of damage the annual flooding inflicts on the

town and facilities, Clark mentioned, “We reviewed the history of flooding in the area and went back

to 1904. Water has actually only reached this area [proposed location of the new Fieldhouse] 11

times. We are moving our buildings and turf fields where there are less high water occurrences. We

will still probably experience flooding, but not as much damage.”

It is not an ideal situation for people and families to leave their homes, but if it means that they will

be compensated appropriately and moved to a safer location, then it might be the best decision they

make for the greater good. The homes that currently reside on North River St. are not in jeopardy of

eviction by any means, but naturally, the rivers do flood in this area, which puts these homes at risk.

The plans to create an open river front view and access point for the Pemi River will be the last

phase of the ALLWell project. Moving and constructing three new buildings, as well as fields and

parking space, will take some time. So, not every home on North River Street will have to move at

the same time.

The project is currently in Phase Two. “If everything went perfectly, we’d start next spring, and we’d

be finished by August 2015,” said Clark.