Strafford Regional Planning Commission staffers took a field trip to the newly renovated City Hall Annex in Rochester on Tuesday, Sept. 12. The Annex houses the city's planning, economic development, and zoning departments. SRPC joined staffers from the three departments for lunch and a tour of the building. Pictures from the tour can be seen at
https://tinyurl.com/ydfqtun7
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Constructed in 1904, the City Hall Annex was originally a fire station and housed eight horses to pull the steam-powered pumpers. From 1975 to 2004, it served as police headquarters. The building sat vacant from the time the police station was relocated until its reopening last month.
Grants from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), the NH Moose Plate grants program, and the Certified Local Government program helped fund the work of restoring the building to its original state, while updating the interior. During the renovation, many of the building's original features-covered when the structure was converted to a police station-were restored. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the building was held on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
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