Planning board backs forwarding $500,000 CDBG application for Quaker Manor heating upgrades

The Portsmouth Planning Board voted Nov. 20 to recommend that the town council consider a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application from Quaker Manor Estates on behalf of Sabatus Housing requesting $500,000 to replace aging heating equipment at 73 elderly and Section 8 housing units.

Planning staffmember Miss Hitchen told the board the application falls under the comp‑plan housing element and services/facilities goals, and that the department had received one application so far and would hold a second public hearing at the Dec. 9 town council meeting. “We have received 1 application thus far, and that is for, from the Quaker Manor Estates, on behalf of, Sabatus housing…that has requested to, put $500,000 towards 73 elderly unit housing, for new heating pumps and improvements there,” she said.

Jim Sevely, identified as Pleasant Housing Authority chair, testified in support, describing repeated winter heating failures and the difficulty of obtaining replacement parts at the 60– to 70‑year‑old properties. “They really need to get these things, replaced,” Sevely said, noting residents include elderly and disabled tenants.

Board members questioned equipment choices and lifecycle tradeoffs for high‑efficiency units versus older atmospheric boilers; one member urged selecting durable systems and careful vetting of vendors. Michael Packard, president of Sabatus Housing, described the site equipment mix and said any award would likely fund work for the following winter rather than immediately.

A member moved to find the application consistent with the comprehensive community plan and forward it to the town council; the motion was seconded and carried. The staff memo and the second public hearing at the Dec. 9 council meeting were cited as the next steps.