Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pease Development Authority topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
PDA representative tells Greenland board ARPA retail plan shelved; PFAS testing and noise increases flagged
Summary
Pease Development Authority representative Susan Parker told the Greenland Board the PDA rescinded a $2 million ARPA retail plan for Rye Harbor, directed staff to stop Appledore engineering work, reported PFAS in utility manholes prompting a $35,000 contingency contract, and said military aircraft noise has increased.
Susan Parker, the Pease Development Authority representative, told the Greenland Board of Selectmen on Oct. 7 that the PDA had approved and then rescinded a roughly $2,000,000 ARPA package that originally split funding between a Portsmouth fish‑pier project and a Rye Harbor retail platform. Parker said the PDA board directed staff to halt further engineering work related to the Rye Harbor retail platform and undertake a further review of facility needs. “The Peace Development Authority Board of Directors directs the executive director to cease additional work under the amended contract with the Division of Ports and Harbors contracted on call marine engineering service provider, Appledore Marine Engineering LLC for any further engineering services specifically related to the Rye Harbor Marine Facility retail platform as had been authorized at the Board of Directors June 13, 2024 meeting so that a further review of facility needs can be conducted,” Parker read to the board.
Parker said $1,000,000 of the package is proceeding for the Portsmouth fish pier and that the Rye Harbor retail platform work has been shelved; she described the decision as a response to public concern and the need for additional planning and review. She added that the PDA had acted under a tight federal funding timeline and later rescinded parts of the authorization as questions and local objections emerged.
The PDA representative also reported environmental and operational issues at the trade port. She said water testing in underground electrical manholes identified PFAS (per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and that the PDA authorized the executive director to contract with Republic Services for an on‑site mobile groundwater treatment trailer at an amount “not to exceed $35,000” to allow Eversource to inspect and sample manholes. Parker told the board she would follow up with staff to report whether the contractor or PDA remedial efforts addressed the detections.
Parker described increased aircraft activity at Pease, including large military cargo planes and low‑level fighter training flights, and told the board that the volume of such flights has raised community noise concerns. She recommended the board and staff consider traffic and noise monitoring as part of any future planning effort at the trade port.
Parker also said a near‑complete 100,000‑square‑foot warehouse on airport property appears likely to be leased soon to Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), which is reportedly expanding medical‑supplies inventory capacity; she said a lease had not been finalized at the time of the meeting.
Why it matters: the PDA materials and actions affect land use, environmental remediation, local noise and the pace of economic development at Pease. The board asked for follow‑up briefings from staff on PFAS testing results, any remaining Appledore work and on traffic/noise monitoring plans.
Next steps: Parker said PDA staff would report back to the select board as details become available; the board did not take separate formal action on PDA staffing or the Appledore contract beyond noting Parker’s report.
