I feel that  social approbation should be sufficient to limit playground smoking. An opportunity to  propose  legislation should not be  squandered on this stuff. I suppose we could as a State stand in line in January. Hoping for monies from the Federal Government to repave  route 101 to the beach. Visionary. We could also  engage 2 other States in a Regional effort to jump start the Future for NH.

If I were in Concord  I would try something that would probably  make Bruce Keogh cringe, opening up Western  NH. It’s time to make a bold move  to spread out, and create new opportunities.

I went to Camp Union  as a kid  in Greenfield every Summer, I have hiked all over  with my own kids, it’s nice . I  think it will still be nice, but not on it’s knees. Keene is for all intents and purposes an isolated city. It  is dangerous to drive 101 to Keene. It has been that way  for far too long. The entire area from Route 2 in Massachusetts to 89 in the North, 91 West is lying fallow.   Make it a toll road but that road/ transportation/fiber corridor has to come. The bones are there for a Renaissance in NH West but a safe, at speed link  is necessary.

I know why the Great North  is struggling, but  NH West just needs  a way to get around.

If you have never driven to Keene, or on to Bennington Vt , you are lucky. Oh, it’s beautiful, but it also can be really something in weather, sunny , rainy, windy and snowy. I am speaking to driving related to living & working, not canoodling with a Winnebago on your tongue. This area warrants a significant look  for carving out a new region, for commerce, living , and recreation.

Can you imagine  the buzz at WMUR if they had the beginnings of a 20  year  land use  battle?

One project is not enough. The completion  of the Dartmouth  Hitchcock hospital was the end of a good ride for that immediate area. Not all the  labor that  moved there to build the campus  stayed, they tried, but no more work. This is at least what I have heard from citizens of that area.

NH West would emerge whole and on the cutting edge with a significant lifestyle advantage. Wind turbines are actually viable in some areas of NH West. All sorts of new public works technologies could be implemented, in a green field project.

That would  be  more interesting to discuss in Concord than people behaving poorly. Next Spring  take a ride out and explore the area. You find yourself saying ,” geez, this is really nice”. The comeback might be “well it won’t be nice after all the  strangers arrive”  It could be even better.