Cheshire County, NH – June 27, 2025 – Cheshire County Administrator Chris Coates announced
that the Cheshire County Government has been included in two Congressionally Directed
Spending (CDS) proposals submitted by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen for Fiscal Year 2026.
These proposals include $936,000 to support the replacement of Southwest NH District Fire
Mutual Aid’s telecommunications infrastructure, as well as $100,000 to fund a regional
economic video initiative designed to promote the region.
While inclusion in the CDS package is an important milestone, these funding requests are part of
the annual federal appropriations process and must still be approved by Congress in the final
FY26 budget.
In addition to the County-led projects, towns and organizations across Cheshire County were
named in Senator Shaheen’s CDS package for a wide range of local infrastructure, housing,
education, and public health initiatives. These include:
• Keene:
o City of Keene ($2.86 M)
o Greater Monadnock Collaborative ($520 K)
o Monadnock Affordable Housing Coalition ($2 M)
o Keene State College ($1 M)
o Monadnock Economic Development Corporation ($600 K)
o Southwest Community Services ($198 K)
o Keene Housing Kids Collaborative ($247 K)
• Jaffrey:
o Town of Jaffrey ($2.4 M)
• Westmoreland:
o Town of Westmoreland ($800 K)
• Winchester:
o Town of Winchester ($4.88 M)
• Rindge:
o Franklin Pierce University ($1 M)
• Walpole:
o Town of Walpole ($2.058 M)
o The Walpole Foundation ($830 K)
These community-based projects bring the total proposed investment in Cheshire County to more
than $20.4 million.
These outcomes are a credit to our community’s strong and constantly growing relationships
with New Hampshire’s federal delegation. These projects are vital to our region and the
collaboration between local governments, non-profits, and other community organizations ensure
our region is well represented on the national level.
Additionally, Coates and the County Commissioners traveled to Washington, D.C. this spring to
attend Senator Shaheen’s Experience NH event, where they met directly with federal officials to
highlight infrastructure, housing, and public safety priorities across the region. Earlier this year,
in partnership with Southwest Regional Planning Commission, Cheshire County co-hosted a
local federal forum in Keene that included staff from the Congressional delegation and dozens of
local leaders.
“Our region has a compelling story to tell, and we’ve made it a priority to ensure it’s being heard
in Washington,” Coates said. “These funding proposals reflect not just need, but years of
collaboration and planning. We are grateful for the consideration and will continue to advocate
until these dollars are secured and delivered.”
Christopher Coates
Cheshire County Administrator
12 Court St, Keene, NH 03431
C: 603-313-9002
O: 603-355-3031