Franklin Groundbreaking Set For Monday
Construction Of Kayakers' Surf Wave Is First Of Three Features In Winni River
“Benjamin Franklin, for whom our city is named, once said, ‘Energy and persistence conquer all things.’ There are very few things with more energy and persistence than a river with rushing rapids from New Hampshire’s largest body of water.” So states a press release from Franklin City Manager Judie Milner and Marty Parichand, the executive director of Mill City Park, in announcing a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the construction of a surf wave for kayakers next to Trestle View Park.
My story on the park notes that Franklin has been struggling to redefine itself since the last of the mills that drove the local economy closed a half-century ago. In the years that followed, leaders were looking to the past as a way of revitalizing the city: Passenger rail and a renovated opera house were supposed to provide the catalyst for Franklin’s rebirth. Today, it is a vision of the future in form of a whitewater park that is promising to pull the Three Rivers City out of its doldrums.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Monday, July 12, at 9 a.m. in Trestle View Park. “Originally, I thought we were building surf waves. We are actually rebuilding our community’s sustainability, quality of life, and pride,” Marty said.
Restaurant Revitalization
The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that 418 New Hampshire restaurants will receive more than $90.7 million — averaging $217,000 per establishment — through the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund. While only 41.4 percent of New Hampshire applicants were granted the money, the Granite State ranked seventh in the country for the rate of approvals. Maine ranked highest in the Northeast, with a 43.1 percent approval rate. Hawaii had the greatest success, 47.8 percent of applicants winning approval.
The national approval rate is 39.6 percent.
There were 591 restaurants in New Hampshire seeking money through the federal program. If all were approved, the amount would have been $424.6 million.
Oil Prices Rise
The price of oil reached its highest level in six years before falling back to $73.37 per barrel after talks between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its oil-producing allies failed to reach an agreement on production for August and beyond and postponed further talks indefinitely.
On Tuesday, the U.S. oil benchmark, West Texas Intermediate crude futures, traded as high as $76.98, a price not seen since November 2014. As of the end of the day on Thursday, the price had fallen to $72.17.
Analysts at TD Securities wrote in a note to clients that “This impasse will lead to a temporary and significantly larger-than-anticipated deficit, which should fuel even higher prices for the time being. The summer breakout in oil prices is set to gather steam at a fast clip.”
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