Rochester NH

*Media Advisory* City of Rochester to Host Annual Art Awards

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, Aug. 5, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

*Media Advisory*

City of Rochester to Host Annual Art Awards

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox is pleased to announce that the City of Rochester will host its annual Art Awards next week.

WHEN: 

Monday, Aug. 12, from 6-7 p.m.

WHERE: 

Governor’s Inn Courtyard, 78 Wakefield St.

WHAT: 

The seventh annual Rochester Art Awards will recognize community organizations and businesses for their wide-ranging contributions to the city’s arts scene.

Nine awards will be distributed at the event, celebrating diverse artistic endeavors throughout Rochester. The honorees include Bernier Insurance, Rochester Recreation, the Rochester Performance and Arts Center, Granite State Choral Society, Spaulding High School, Rochester Opera House, the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts and the Homeschool Theatre Guild.

Bernier Insurance is being recognized for its overall support of the arts, including its sponsorship of the Bernier Room at the MFA and Rochester’s Wings and Wheels event. Rochester Rec will be honored for its Concert on the Common music series, while the Rochester Performance and Arts Center will be recognized for Rochester Porch Fest.

The Granite State Choral Society will be honored for its presentation of “Rochester: Your Town, Your Story, Your Song,” while SHS and the Opera House earn recognition for their Art Fest and “Mamma Mia” production, respectively.

The MFA will be honored for multiple efforts over the last year, including its overall work cultivating and sustaining the arts in the city. It will also be recognized alongside partners from the Rochester Economic Development Department and Rochester Main Street — as well as artist Adam Pearson — for their shared roles in developing the Sculpture Walk.

The Homeschool Theatre Guild will be recognized for its production of “Arabian Nights.”

“Each of these organizations has made tremendous contributions to the thriving arts scene in our community,” City Manager Cox said. “They’re all very much deserving of this recognition, and I’m grateful for their continued efforts to make Rochester a more vibrant and artistically rich place.”

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City of Rochester Welcomes New Deputy Assessor

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, Aug. 1 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

City of Rochester Welcomes New Deputy Assessor

Christian Kuhn began his new role as the City of Rochester’s deputy assessor on Monday. (Courtesy Photo City of Rochester)

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox is pleased to announce that the City of Rochester welcomed Christian Kuhn to his new role as deputy assessor earlier this week.

Kuhn began on Monday, July 29, and will work under the City’s Chief Assessor, supervising the general management and administration of the assessing department. In this supervisory role, Kuhn will also assist in establishing and maintaining the assessed values of all residential, commercial and industrial properties for tax purposes.

In the coming months, Kuhn will assume a significant role with the 2019 municipal-wide assessment revaluation.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Christian to our team,” City Manager Blaine Cox said. “He is highly experienced and skilled, and I’m confident he will be a great asset to the City moving forward.”

For the past year, Kuhn worked as the assistant city assessor for the City of Everett, Massachusetts. He has also previously worked as an assistant assessor at Cumberland County Regional Assessing in Portland, Maine, and for the Town of Kittery, Maine as a development staff clerk and later an associate assessor.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in science, mathematics and statistics from the University of New Hampshire, and attended Southern Maine Community College’s Leadership Academy in 2017. He has also taken part in various courses, workshops and conferences on topics including Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), assessment administration, residential modeling concepts and tax increment finance.

Kuhn is also a certified assessor evaluator candidate, certified Maine assessor and Massachusetts DOR certified assessor.

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Rochester Recreation Facilities Undergo Upgrades

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Rochester Recreation Facilities Undergo Upgrades

Updated Courts Add New and Improved Options for Summer Activities

The Hanson Pines playground has been expanded and now features two full basketball courts, which have been resurfaced and fitted with upgraded equipment. (Courtesy Photo)

ROCHESTER — Residents now have an opportunity to play tennis and basketball at upgraded facilities in Rochester.

The outdoor tennis courts behind the Community Center now feature lights that will extend the court’s operating hours, while the basketball court at the Hanson Pines playground is newly renovated and open to players of all ages.

Adding lights to the tennis courts closely aligned with the feedback the Community Development Division had received from residents, who were seeking more recreation opportunities. The city’s federal Community Development Block Grant provided $122,877 to fund the lighting project, which will now allow the tennis facilities to remain open until 11 p.m. each night between April 1 and Oct. 31.

Rochester Recreation worked closely with the Department of Public Works’ Buildings and Grounds Division to complete both projects. DPW partnered with Progressive Electrical Services on the lighting project, resulting in the installation of high quality and energy efficient bulbs that provide equal light across the entirety of the courts.

At Hanson Pines, DPW conducted extensive work to expand the basketball courts, adding a second full court where two half courts had been located before. In addition, four new backboards, hoops and nets were installed along with fencing meant to prevent snowmobiles from traveling across the courts during the winter months. Finally, the existing full court had cracks and imperfections filled and sealed, while new lines were painted on both courts.

“Our mission at Rochester Recreation & Arena is to provide programs, services and facilities that promote a healthy lifestyle and foster meaningful community connections, and improvements like the ones at the tennis and basketball courts make them stronger community assets,” Rochester Recreation & Arena Director Chris Bowlen said. “The enhancements to the tennis courts and basketball courts also help to further define the campus of Spaulding High School, the Community Center and  the Dominicus Hanson Pines as a recreation destination.”

The improved tennis and basketball courts are part of a larger effort by Rochester Recreation to provide residents with diverse activities that allow them to get active, engage with one another and build new and lasting relationships — especially during the summer months.

Residents are encouraged to utilize these outdoor facilities by dropping in on their own or checking out one of Rec’s scheduled programs, including Public Swim, Pickleball, Swim Lessons or a guided group hike, “Hiking With Heather.” Information on all of these programs as well as more outdoor recreation facilities in Rochester can be found online at www.RochesterRec.com.

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City of Rochester Initiating Effort to Update Downtown Master Plan 

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

City of Rochester Initiating Effort to Update Downtown Master Plan 

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox is pleased to announce that Rochester will partner with consulting firm Resilience Planning and Design to develop a Downtown Master Plan, and is seeking community input throughout the process.

The forward-looking plan for future development of Rochester’s downtown will include considerations for the arts, green infrastructure, transportation, economic development, historic preservation and more.

The team selected to assist in the process has extensive experience in community planning, design, outreach and engagement, as well as economic analysis. Working in close collaboration with city leaders, Resilience Planning and Design will draw upon that expertise to create an innovative and informed vision for downtown Rochester.

Resilience Planning and Design has worked with communities like Dover, Portsmouth, Franklin and Littleton to create similar master plan documents, and will help Rochester refresh its own master plan, which was last completed in 2003.

“This process is an essential step in ensuring that downtown Rochester reaches its fullest potential,” City Manager Cox said. “This will be a collaborative effort that’s deeply reliant upon community feedback and stakeholder engagement, and will ultimately serve as a road map for the future of our city.”

The team from Resilience Planning and Design includes the firm’s Founder and Principal Steve Whitman, who will serve as Project Manager for the Downtown Master Plan, and Liz Kelly a professional planner and designer with the firm. It also includes Russ Thibeault of Applied Economic Research, and Rob Harbeson of Market Square Architects.

The city’s Planning and Development Department is seeking citizens or business owners to join members of the City Council in serving on the Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee. Those chosen for the committee are asked to make themselves available to attend monthly meetings for the Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee for the remainder of this calendar year, and then to assist with ongoing implementation efforts.

If you are interested in being a part of this important Downtown planning process and vision, contact Michelle Mears at [email protected] or 603-335-1338.

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