Pignatelli: Harbor Homes Contracts Pass; Council Notes

NASHUA, NH — The following is information from Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli of Nashua from the Summer Council Meeting.

I brought the Governor and Council to Peterborough for my summer meeting last Wednesday. Every year, each councilor brings the meeting to a community on our district.

It was a beautiful day outside and a tense meeting inside. Harbor Homes, an important Human Services organization in Nashua and around the state, had had their contracts held up for months. You may have read something about that. At any rate, the contracts ended up passing with a 3-1-1 vote. Harbor Homes will work on getting its finances more in order with commonly accepted accounting standards in the next months. They provide many valuable services to New Hampshire's most vulnerable citizens. I was one of the three votes to approve the contracts.

You may also have read about the Attorney General's efforts to take over the Hillsborough County Attorney's office. Certainly, there have been problems with the office for years and some problems remain. But I thought it inappropriate at this time to overturn an election and remove our elected County Attorney, who was elected this last November and has worked diligently to turn around an extremely dysfunctional office.

I hope all of you enjoy the beautiful late summer and early fall weather.

The next Governor and Council Meeting will be held on Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye. Our meetings are always open to the public. Please let me know if you would like to attend so that I may greet you personally.

Below are Notes from our meeting on September 18 of items I think of interest to District 5:

#25 Authorized to enter into a retroactive sole source agreement with the City of Nashua to provide Regional Public Health Network services, in an amount not to exceed $717,156. Effective June 30, 2019 through June 30, 2021. 82% Federal, 18% General Funds. VOTE: 5-0

#49 Authorized to enter into a contract with Turnstone Corporation, Milford for the purpose of renovating and modernizing the East section of Building C on the State Military Reservation, Concord, in an amount not to exceed $297,000. (2) Further Authorized a contingency in the amount not to exceed $15,000, bringing the total to $312,000. Effective upon G&C approval, or September 27, 2019, whichever is later, through December 31, 2019. 100% Federal Funds. VOTE: 5-0

#70 Authorized a Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan agreement with the Town of Milford, in an amount not to exceed $502,635 to finance the Phase 2 Wastewater Treatment Dewatering System Upgrade Project. Effective upon G&C approval. 42% Federal, 8% Capital (Other), 50% CWSRF Repayment Funds. VOTE: 5-0

#82 Authorized East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church d/b/a Pilgrim Pines’ request to perform work on Swanzey Lake in Swanzey. VOTE: 5-0

#111 Authorized the Division of Public Works Design and Construction to enter into a contract with Turnstone Corporation, Milford, NH, for the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services Army National Guard Re-bid CSMS Renovations, Concord, NH, for a total price not to exceed $2,871,368. (2) Further Authorized the amount of $86,182 for payment to the Department of Administrative Services, Division of Public Works Design and Construction, for engineering services provided, bringing the total to $2,957,550. Effective upon G&C approval through October 30, 2020. 100% Federal Funds. VOTE: 5-0

New Department of Health and Human Services

Division of Public Health Services

#B Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services, to exercise a renewal option and amend an existing agreement with Harbor Homes, Inc., Vendor #155358-B001, 45 High Street Nashua, New Hampshire, 03060, to continue providing early intervention services and behavioral counseling to individuals at risk for acquiring Human Immunodeficiency Virus, by increasing the price limitation by $114,522 from $446,662 to $561,184 and by extending the completion date from October 31, 2019 to June 30, 2020, effective upon Governor and Executive Council approval. 17% Federal Funds, 83% Other Funds. VOTE: 3-1-1 (Gatsas No, Volinsky Abstain)

Division for Behavioral Health

#C Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services, Division for Behavioral Health, to exercise a renewal option and amend an existing sole source agreement with Harbor Homes, Inc. (Vendor # 155358-B001), 77 Northeastern Boulevard, Nashua, NH 03062, to continue development of and providing assistance to the Recovery Community Centers (RCCs) to ensure they meet the standards required of a Recovery Community Center by increasing the price limitation by $1,728,236 from $6,073,822 to $7,802,058 and by extending the completion date from October 31, 2019 to June 30, 2020, effective upon the date of Governor and Executive Council approval. 21.37% General Funds, 44.74% Other Funds and 33.89% Federal Funds. VOTE: 3-1-1 (Gatsas No, Volinsky Abstain)

#E Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services, Division for Behavioral Health, to amend an existing agreement with the vendor listed in bold below to provide substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services, by increasing the price limitation by $1,098,000 from $16,957,446 to $18,055,446 and extending the contract completion date from October 31, 2019 to September 30, 2020, effective upon Governor and Executive Council approval. 72.44% Federal Funds, 9.86% General Funds and 17.70% Other Funds. VOTE: 3-1-1 (Gatsas No, Volinsky Abstain)

#F Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services, Division for Behavioral Health to exercise a renewal option to an existing agreement with Harbor Homes Inc.(Vendor #155358), 45 High Street, Nashua, NH 03060, to continue providing a community residential program for adults who have severe mental illness or severe and persistent mental illness by increasing the price limitation by $700,000 from $2,450,000 to $3,150,000 and by extending the completion date from October 31, 2019 to June 30, 2020, effective upon Governor and Executive Council approval. 100% General Funds. VOTE: 3-1-1 (Gatsas No, Volinsky Abstain)

#G Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services, Division for Behavioral Health, to retroactively amend a sole source agreement with Greater Nashua Council on Alcoholism (Vendor #166574-B001), 615 Amherst St. Nashua, NH 03063, for the provision of substance use disorder treatment services, residential and/or supportive housing, and wraparound services for pregnant and/or parenting women who are experiencing substance use disorders, have income at or below the 185% Federal Poverty Level, and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, by increasing the price limitation by $500,000 from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 and by extending the contract completion date from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2020, effective retroactive to June 30, 2019, upon Governor and Executive Council approval. 100% Federal Funds. VOTE: 3-1-1 (Gatsas No, Volinsky Abstain)

#H Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services, Division for Behavioral Health to enter into an agreement with Harbor Homes, Inc., 77 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, NH, 03062, Contractor # 155358-B001, to provide peer recovery support services to individuals with opioid use disorders in an amount not to exceed $2,000,000, effective upon date of Governor and Council approval, through September 29, 2020. 100% Federal Funds.

Division of Economic and Housing Stability

#D Authorize the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Economic and Housing Stability, to amend an existing agreement with Harbor Homes, Inc., listed in bold below, to continue providing permanent housing programs to chronically homeless individuals and families through the Federal Continuum of Care program, by increasing the total price limitation by $145,662 from $1,853,904 to $1,999,566, and by extending the completion date from October 31, 2019 to June 30, 2020, effective upon Governor and Executive Council approval. 100% Federal Funds. VOTE: 3-1-1 (Gatsas No, Volinsky Abstain)

New Hampshire Veterans Home

#I Authorize to exceed the 3/12 limitation of said resolution for the accounts listed on the attached analysis, in the total amount of $77,856, to the extent shown as projected deficits for the period of Fiscal Committee and Governor and Council approval through September 30, 2019. 26.44% General Funds, 38.46% Federal, 35.10% Other Funds VOTE: 3-1-1 (Gatsas No, Volinsky Abstain)

The Executive Council welcomes public input on nominations that are brought forward by the Governor for consideration and confirmation to State Boards and Commissions.

The Executive Council confirmed the following individuals to serve on State Boards and Commissions:

Michael R. Dahlberg, New Boston, NH to the Board of Land Surveyors

Dorothea Duda, Nashua, NH to the Council for Responsible Gambling

Norman W. Skantze, Swanzey, NH to the State Board of Fire Control

The Governor nominated the following individual to serve on a State Board and Commission:

Karl V. Peicker, New Boston, NH to the Pharmacy Board

If you have interest in serving on any of the 300+ State Boards or Commissions please send a letter of interest along with a resume, to Jonathan Melanson in care of the Governor's office and a copy to me. Please feel free to contact me with concerns or support for any of the above individuals or any other issues you might have.

A listing of the Boards and Commissions, along with the qualifications required, can be found at http://sos.nh.gov/GC2.aspx.

These communities are in District 5:

Amherst, Antrim, Bennington, Brookline, Deering, Dunbarton, Fitzwilliam, Francestown, Greenfield, Greenville, Hillsborough, Hollis, Hudson, Jaffrey, Litchfield, Lyndeborough, Mason, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, New Boston, New Ipswich, Peterborough, Richmond, Rindge, Sharon, Swanzey, Temple, Troy, Weare, Wilton, Windsor and the City of Nashua

Submitted by Deborah Pignatelli.