Keene to receive $1 million downtown revitalization grant; scope shifted to historic core

Keene officials confirmed the city will receive a $1,000,000 downtown revitalization grant but were told the state wants funding focused on what it considers the historic portion of downtown, not the newer commercial corridors some local officials had hoped to include. "The good news is we are still getting it," a board/administration speaker said during the meeting. "They want us to shift the funding from this side of our downtown to that side because they consider that more the historic downtown."

City staff said the redirected funding can be applied to water and sewer infrastructure in the grant area — uses the city might not have been able to fund with other grants given the community's low PMI — but that sidewalk work to connect newer commercial areas would likely need to be funded separately. Board members asked whether sidewalk projects the board had earmarked could instead be paid for with the grant; staff replied the state is specific about the coverage area and that only segments inside the grant-defined downtown boundary are eligible.

At the meeting, staff outlined possible next steps, including adding a sidewalk discussion to a future agenda so the board can decide whether to pursue additional local funding or redesign the pedestrian plan to fit the grant's boundaries. The administration said they would return with more details on which sidewalk segments and CIP projects could be covered under the grant. The board did not take a separate vote on the matter at this meeting.