Long Range Capital Planning committee approves leases, property disposals including Berlin hangar and new medical examiner facility

The Long Range Capital Planning & Utilization Committee on Jan. 28 approved a package of leases and property disposals, including a ground lease at Berlin Regional Airport for the New Hampshire Army National Guard, a 30-year lease with Concord Hospital for a dedicated medical examiner facility, and multiple Department of Transportation property listings and sales across the state.

The measures, taken during the committee's organizational meeting, included authorization to proceed with construction of an Army Aviation Support hangar on about 5.66 acres at Berlin Regional Airport in Milan; a 30-year lease with Concord Hospital for 10,500 square feet at 279 Pleasant Street to house the state's chief medical examiner offices, autopsy suite and morgue; a 10-year lease with the city of Concord for space at 91 Airport Road used by the New Hampshire State Police aircraft; and multiple approvals to list or sell state-owned remnant parcels in Concord, Conway, Lisbon, Effingham and Mount Vernon.

Why it matters: the approvals move forward planned facility and property decisions that affect state agency operations, local land use and federal funding compliance. The Berlin lease supports a federally funded military construction project intended to support National Guard training and search-and-rescue operations. The Concord Hospital lease addresses an immediate capacity gap for the state's medical examiner and is estimated to cost about $37.26 million over the 30-year term, according to the committee presentation.

The Berlin hangar

Jared Nyland, real property asset manager with the Department of Administrative Services, told the committee the proposed ground lease covers roughly 5.66 acres adjacent to the runway at Berlin Regional Airport and would allow the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services to construct an Army Aviation Support building. For the record, David Michalitis, introduced to the committee as the Adjutant General of the New Hampshire National Guard, said the project is financed with congressional construction dollars and “we're trying to build a hangar to save lives.” He told the committee the project received about $5.5 million in federal fiscal 2023 and that the hangar would not have a permanent, full‑time staff presence but would support training and search-and-rescue operations in the White Mountain National Forest.

The committee voted to approve moving forward with the ground lease. Committee discussion and later staff comments noted the original request allowed for a 55-year lease term; the Federal Aviation Administration objects to leases longer than 50 years at that airport, and the term was revised to a 50-year maximum before finalizing the item on the record.

Medical examiner facility at Concord Hospital

Sean Gill, chief of staff at the Department of Justice, described the 30-year lease at 279 Pleasant Street in Concord intended to provide dedicated office, autopsy suite and morgue space for the state's chief medical examiner. “The state doesn't own any building or facilities that are capable of conducting autopsies or storing bodies, pending autopsies,” Gill told the committee, and he said the current arrangement with Concord Hospital—where the state leases office space and pays per-use fees for morgue services—has reached capacity. The proposed fit-out would support three examiners and roughly double current body‑storage capacity, the presenters said. The committee approved the department's request to proceed with the lease terms outlined in the presentation.

Other leases and facilities

Amy Newbury, director of administration with the Department of Safety, presented a 10-year lease with the city of Concord at 91 Airport Road to house the State Police aircraft and the mobile enforcement team; the lease includes two one‑year renewal options and annual 3% escalations. The committee approved that request.

DOT property disposals and listings

Representatives from the Department of Transportation presented multiple authorizations to list or sell small, state‑owned remnant parcels that were originally acquired for highway projects. Highlights include:

- Approval to continue efforts to dispose of two contiguous remnant parcels (about 0.67 acres total) at 105 South Main Street and Sexton Avenue in Concord; the department set a reduced listing price of $875,000 after a December 2024 appraisal and extended its listing agreement.

- Authorization to list six parcels totaling roughly 9.49 acres along Route 16/US‑302 in Conway with a combined listing price of $1.8 million and a 4% sales commission to the listing broker; the department corrected an earlier acreage error that had listed 7.2 acres and identified prior interest from New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority that later terminated.

- Approval to list seven parcels in Lisbon (about 3.83 acres total) under cluster and individual lot strategies, with combined cluster prices proposed at $88,500 and $110,000.

- Authorization of direct sales or listings for smaller parcels in Effingham (about 1.5 acres, proposed direct sale of $22,000 plus administrative fee) and Mount Vernon (about 0.15 acres, proposed direct sale of $9,800 plus administrative fee). Committee presenters described conditions of sale including required boundary surveys, reservation of easements, and buyers' responsibility for local and state approvals prior to closing.

Other property actions and administrative items

The committee approved two small easements in Hillsborough for a town sidewalk and drainage infrastructure project, and it authorized a use‑of‑premises agreement with Rockingham County for 18,053 square feet of state space in the Rockingham County Superior Courthouse in Brentwood. The committee also approved its orientation materials and accepted the Nov. 12, 2024 minutes.

Votes at a glance

- LRCP25‑003 (Berlin Regional Airport ground lease for NH Army National Guard): approved; lease revised on record to a 50‑year maximum term per FAA guidance; annual rent listed as $1; site about 5.66 acres.

- LRCP25‑004 (Lease with Concord Hospital, 279 Pleasant St., Concord, 30 years, medical examiner facility): approved; estimated total cost over term about $37,259,882; fit‑out for offices, autopsy suite and morgue.

- LRCP25‑012 (Lease with City of Concord, 91 Airport Road, Department of Safety/State Police): approved; 10‑year term with two 1‑year renewal options; 3% annual escalation.

- LRCP25‑005 (Disposition of two remnant parcels, 105 South Main St./Sexton Ave., Concord): approved to continue disposal efforts; listing price adjusted to $875,000 and listing extended.

- LRCP25‑006 (Sale/listing of six parcels, Route 16/US‑302 Conway): approved to list parcels at $1.8 million combined; listing broker commission 4%.

- LRCP25‑007 (Disposition of seven parcels, Lisbon): approved to list parcels; cluster and individual prices proposed.

- LRCP25‑008 (Sale of ~1.5 acres, Effingham, direct sale to abutter proposed at $22,000): approved.

- LRCP25‑009 (Sale of ~0.15 acres, Mount Vernon, direct sale proposed at $9,800): approved.

- LRCP25‑010 (Two easements to Town of Hillsborough, temporary construction and perpetual drainage infrastructure): approved; temporary easement ~1,000 sq ft (2‑year max), perpetual drainage easement ~467 sq ft.

- LRCP25‑011 (Use of premises agreement: Rockingham County courthouse space): approved; term 05/01/2025–12/31/2025; revenue listed in presentation approximately $129,552.72.

Committee organization and next steps

At the organizational portion of the meeting, Representative John Cloutier accepted nomination as committee clerk. A nomination for Senator Mark McConkie as vice chair was made but not voted on because McConkie was not present; the committee deferred that vote to the next meeting. The committee set its next meeting for April 14 at 9:30 a.m.

What the committee did not decide

Several presenters and committee members noted conditions or constraints that remain to be satisfied before final implementation: FAA limits on lease term length at the Berlin site; required local and state land‑use approvals and boundary surveys for disposed parcels; and the need for project-specific construction/funding details to determine whether fit‑outs and build‑outs proceed on the exact schedules and budgets presented.

(Reporting based on the Long Range Capital Planning & Utilization Committee transcript and departmental presentations.)