Public Hearings Notice
County of Cheshire
Community Development Block Grants
The Cheshire County Commissioners will hold 3 public hearings on March 1, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. at 12 Court Street, Keene, NH 03431 in the second-floor conference room. The purpose of the first Public Hearing is to discuss and receive public comment on several microenterprise technical assistance projects currently underway. These projects are funded through a federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) awarded to the County of Cheshire.
The second Public Hearing will discuss applications to the NH Community Development Finance Authority under the CDBG program. CDBG funds are awarded on a competitive basis in New Hampshire and may be used for projects which have primary benefit to low- and moderate-income (LMI) people. A municipality can apply for up to $500,000 in CDBG funds per year in each of the following categories: housing, public facilities, economic development, and emergency funds up to $750,000 in CDBG funds in the microenterprise technical assistance category. Municipalities can also apply for up to $25,000 annually for feasibility studies.
The proposal(s) to be considered by the Commissioners is a grant designed to support small businesses to be submitted by Cheshire County for up to $750,000. The funds, less administrative costs, will be subgranted to one or more agencies to provide resources such as technical assistance, direct grants and loans to LMI entrepreneurs and small businesses with five or fewer employees in New Hampshire. This public hearing has been scheduled to provide residents with specific information regarding the grant requirements. A third Public Hearing will be held to adopt the Relocation and Anti-Displacement Plan specific to these projects.
Those interested are invited to attend and comment. Those who wish to join via zoom may do so by visiting https://zoom.us/join and utilizing the Meeting ID 409 748 8803 and Password 6031233. Please contact the Cheshire County Commissioner’s Office, (603) 352-8215 or via Relay NH at 1-800-735-2964, in advance if you have a disability or need assistance to attend or participate in the hearing. Anyone wishing to submit written comments prior to the hearing should address them to the Cheshire County Commissioners, 12 Court Street, Keene, NH 03431 or email rbouchard@co.cheshire.nh.us.