Claremont, NH – Yesterday afternoon, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) congratulated TwinState MakerSpace, Inc. on receiving a $250,000 Northern Border Regional Commission grant during her tour of the center in Claremont. Congresswoman Kuster worked to support the TwinState MakerSpace in Claremont as they applied for the funds.  The grant will be usedin part to purchase and renovate the Sawtooth Building so that it can support science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematic (STEAM) endeavors in the community.

“It was wonderful to visit the MakerSpace here in Claremont today and congratulate the center on its recent $250,000 grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “The revitalization of the Sawtooth Building through this grant will continue to boost the economy and culture of the city and region. I was proud to support their Northern Border Regional Commission grant application.  I congratulate the TwinState MakerSpace in Claremont on this grant and I look forward to seeing the positive impact that this project will have on tourism, the workforce, and the economy.”

The Northern Border Regional Commission was established in 2008 through the bipartisan Farm Bill to promote job creation and economic growth across the northern counties of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and New York. Congresswoman Kuster has fought in Congress to maintain funding levels for the Northern Border Regional Commission.

In addition to the grant awarded to the TwinState MakerSpace in Claremont, the Northern Border Regional Commission also awarded the following grants, many of which Congresswoman Kuster supported throughout the application and review processes with letters of support:

• A $150,716 grant to Franconia Ski Club and the Cannon Mountain Ski Area to upgrade the Mittersill ski trails.
• A $250,000 grant to the Town of Northumberland to fund wastewater lines to the former Groveton paper mill site.
• A $250,000 grant to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to relocate a maintenance shed in Dixville Notch as part of the Balsams Resort development project.
• A $55,000 grant to Plymouth State University and partners to support their “Bienvenue New Hampshire” program.
• A $45,000 grant to the Grafton County Economic Development Council to construct a pedestrian bridge between buildings in Lebanon.
• A $150,000 grant to River Valley Community College to construct improvements of Lebanon College ahead of its opening as a new branch of River Valley Community College.

In addition to the grant to River Valley Community College, the reopening of the school in Lebanon was made possible in part by a $1.6 million loan awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD) to the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH).  The loan stemmed from an amendment Congresswoman Kuster introduced to the 2014 Farm Bill directing USDA to partner with local communities to increase investment in rural community colleges. After her amendment became law, Kuster worked to bring together representatives from the Community College System of New Hampshire and USDA representatives, and the partnership resulted in the reopening of the Lebanon College as a branch of River Valley Community College, and it opened the door for similar projects in the future.

The Northern Border Regional Commission was established to support and promote economic growth projects within the northern portions of the four‐state region of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.

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