WASHINGTON – Today, Jovita Carranza, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced the kick-off for National Small Business Week. The virtual event, rescheduled from May due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held September 22-24. National Small Business Week honors the nation’s small businesses, many of which are veteran, women and minority-owned, for their achievements and dedication to their communities. This year’s National Small Business Week activities will include numerous educational panels providing retooling and innovative practices for entrepreneurs as our nation’s small businesses look to pivot and recover toward a stronger economy. The event will recognize the national award winners, including the naming of this year’s National Small Business Person of the Year.

“I am thrilled to host SBA’s virtual National Small Business Week ceremony and provide this opportunity to recognize inspiring entrepreneurs from across the country for their innovation, and in many cases this year, resilience,” said SBA Administrator Carranza. “This year, we will spotlight America’s outstanding small businesses and their stories of perseverance and their ability to pivot and overcome adversity.  This event will also feature many educational forums that will inspire entrepreneurs around the country as they recover and sustain their operations.”

National Small Business Week will also recognize small business advocates for their involvement in disaster recovery, government contracting, and their support for small businesses and entrepreneurship.  Awards will be presented to SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, including top SCORE Chapter, Small Business Development Center, Women’s Business Center, and Veterans Business Outreach Center.

For registration and additional information on National Small Business Week, please visit sba.gov/NSBW .

 

Governor Mills today extended the State of Civil Emergency (PDF) for thirty days through October 1, 2020. The Governor’s decision to extend the emergency is in line with nearly every other state in the nation which have ongoing emergency declarations, according to the National Governors Association. The state of New Hampshire renewed its state of emergency (PDF) for the eighth time last Friday, August 28th.

“Thanks to the efforts of Maine people, who have largely abided by public health measures intended to keep us all safe, our state has been relatively successful in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in the last few months. The outbreaks which we hear about in other states every day can sometimes feel far away from the relative safety of our state, but recent events prove that one little match can spark a fire that may be very difficult to put out,” said Governor Mills. “Pandemic fatigue is setting in, but we cannot let down our guard, especially as some of our schools and universities bring students back on campus and back into the classroom. Let's stay focused on the end game: keeping everyone safe and healthy and protected from this dangerous virus.”

A State of Civil Emergency allows Maine to draw down critical Federal resources and to deploy all available tools to respond to and contain COVID-19. This is Governor Mills’ sixth extension of the State of Civil Emergency. Under Maine law, Proclamations of Civil Emergencies may be issued in thirty day increments.

As of last Tuesday, August 25th, adjusted for population, Maine ranks 2nd lowest in the nation in terms of positive cases; 6th lowest in deaths; 2nd lowest in patients ever-hospitalized out of the 36 states reporting; and 6th highest in the percentage of people who have recovered out of the 45 states reporting.

The State has made extensive changes to the COVID guidelines over the last few weeks to minimize redundancy in each industry sector.  Those guidelines that applied to all industry sectors have been removed from separate sector pages and now live only in the Universal Guidelines (UG) pages. 

In some cases (e.g. outdoor attractions, arts, music education, funerals, and more) the sector pages have been eliminated entirely and you’ll find a note at the end of the UG specific to those sectors.

At the bottom of all pages you’ll see a note that states “Updated MM/DD/YYYY.”  In future, the BEA expects that they will notify the NH Association of Chamber Execs (NHACCE) when changes have been made so we, the Chambers, can share that information with our members and through all distribution channels.

Please bookmark https://www.covidguidance.nh.gov/ so you can keep up to date on changes made to the UG and your industry sectors.

Dover, NH –The pandemic has been full of unprecedented decisions and challenges for the region’s public transportation provider, the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST), as it has for almost every other business and organization in the Greater Seacoast.

Throughout the pandemic the organization has persevered, and even implemented the biggest changes to the regional bus system in the organization’s 38 year history, as its staff have recommitted themselves to their essential public service role.

To follow is a high-level summary of COAST operations and impacts through the pandemic to date.

March 2020

Through the first half of March average weekday fixed route ridership was up 24% over the previous fiscal year to date (FYTD) average. By the third week in March, as it became more apparent that community spread was beginning to happen in the region, ridership had dropped to 22% below the previous FYTD average, and by the fourth week it dropped to 46% below the previous FYTD average.

In response to an increased prevalence of the virus in the Greater Seacoast region, protocols to increase vehicle sanitization were implemented and increased over the course of the month, as well as encouragement to use available personal protective equipment (PPE), which was in very short supply.

As the month progressed, several employees also became increasingly uncomfortable with their potential exposure to the virus and chose to opt out of work. At the same time, the organization began to update and relax leave policies to allow for employees to make these difficult choices more freely.

Service Suspension

On March 31, 2020 in an emergency meeting of the COAST Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, the decision was made to suspend all fixed route service, and Route 7 On Demand, effective the end of business that day. The decision was made in the interest of the health and safety of passengers and staff. Suspended fixed route services included: Route 1, Route 2, Route 6, Route 33, Route 40, Route 41, Route 41cc, Route 100, Route 101, Route 103, as well as Route 7 On Demand.

COAST continued to operate demand response (paratransit) services for those individuals who qualified under the various programs of this type that COAST operates (ADA, Portsmouth Senior Transportation, Community Rides, and accessible rides for Ready Rides), but on a reduced Monday – Friday schedule.

Additional protocols were instituted relative to the use of PPE and sanitizing the fleet and facilities.

The suspension of the identified services remained in place until May 11.

Service Resumption

Once adequate PPE had been secured, further protocols had been instituted, staff had been trained and new service levels were determined based on staff availability, COAST resumed fixed route services over the course of four (4) phases beginning on May 11. As more bus operators who had been out due to COVID-19 concerns returned, this enabled COAST to transition to the next phase.

As service was resumed, passengers were asked initially to limit their trips to only essential trips and strongly encouraged to use face masks or coverings. These were put in place to encourage and maintain safe physical distancing.

Phase 1: starting on May 11, COAST resumed most fixed routes to either a weekday or Saturday level of service.

Phase 2: starting on May 26, full Route 1 and Route 33 weekday services were resumed.

Phase 3: starting on June 1, Route 41cc and increased frequency of services on Routes 40 & 41 were resumed.

Phase 4: starting on June 29, COAST launched their newly redesigned system (at full service levels) and has maintained those service levels to date.

Ridership Impacts

After shutting completely down in April and the first part of May, weekly ridership on COAST’s fixed route services has steadily grown from a low that equaled only 22% of pre-pandemic ridership levels (during the week of May 11) to now equaling nearly 55% of pre-pandemic levels. Over that same time services increased significantly, from a limited restart, to a full launch of COAST’s redesigned public transit system on June 29th.

“We are very happy with the growth in ridership we have seen over the past 16 weeks,” commented Rad Nichols. “You have to remember that there are a lot of people who unfortunately do not have jobs to go to. Many with jobs are also working fully remotely now. Additionally, many students are, and will continue to, attend their classes remotely. The nearly overnight adoption of telehealth is also impacting ridership, as well as folks simply following guidance and only going out into their communities when essential or necessary.”

COAST’s demand response (paratransit) services for qualified elderly adults and individuals with disabilities have also slowly been growing over the course of the pandemic, after hitting a low of 770 total trips during the month of April (only 40% of pre-pandemic levels). In comparison, in July and August ridership has averaged 62% of pre-pandemic levels.

Riding the Bus Now

If you have not ridden public transit and COAST since the beginning of the pandemic, a lot has changed since the beginning of March. Things you should notice when you board and use COAST now:

• Passengers are being asked to stay home if they are not feeling well

• Passengers are being asked to talk less, and quietly, when onboard the bus to reduce microdroplets onboard

• Face masks or coverings are strongly encouraged

• Before boarding, passengers are being asked to wait for anyone deboarding and to give them plenty of extra space

• When you board the bus the bus operator may be behind a clear protective barrier that they close when boarding and alighting passengers

• Hand sanitizer is available at the front of the bus for everyone to use before they move to the passenger area

• Seats are marked off to encourage physical distancing while riding, unless you are riding together as a group

• Staff are prioritizing sanitizing common touchpoints periodically throughout service the day

Mr. Nichols commented, “We are taking precautions to attempt to make our buses as safe as possible to ride and we are operating to meet our many passenger’s daily transportation needs. Throughout this pandemic our staff have shown an incredible commitment to our mission to provide customer-focused public transportation with a commitment to excellence in safety and service.”

Budgetary Impacts

Revenues associated with services being on the street or passengers using the system (for example, fares, contract revenues, advertising) have all been decimated because of the pandemic. Expenses at COAST are down overall, however the overall cost of operations has increased due to COVID-19 and newly implemented protocols to maintain safety. Some emergency funding has been made available through the FTA, but it is temporary, and it is yet to be seen if it will be sufficient as the ripple effects of the pandemic are anticipated to be longer term.

“Operating through the pandemic has been an incredibly challenging experience, but I am very proud of all of our staff and the adjustments we have been able to make on the fly to respond to what we were faced with.

Our goal was always to return to full service levels as safely and quickly as possible for our passengers and staff,” remarked Mr. Nichols.

The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST) has provided public transit service to the Seacoast New Hampshire region since 1982. COAST is a non-profit agency, operating a regional public transit system that relies primarily on federal and local government support to operate. COAST is governed by a board of directors representing the communities served, two regional planning commissions, and many local and state agencies. COAST’s vision is to be an innovative leader in providing a broad range of public transportation services, connecting, and coordinating a robust network of transportation options for everyone.

DOVER, N.H. – Wentworth-Douglass Hospital is hosting a free virtual community lecture titled Understanding Spinal Stenosis on Tuesday, September 15, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., presented by orthopedic spine surgeon Peter Dirksmeier, MD, of Wentworth Health Partners Seacoast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.

Spinal stenosis is a degenerative condition of the spine that can cause painful or uncomfortable symptoms like neck or back pain, balance issues, numbness or tingling in hands, legs, or feet, and more.  Dr. Dirksmeier and spine specialized physical therapist, Lilly Pillsbury, DPT, OMT, of Wentworth-Douglass Rehabilitation Services, will discuss surgical and non-surgical treatments, including specialized physical therapy, interventional pain procedures

and minimally invasive surgery.

Register for this free event at wdhospital.org/events.  To learn more about the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Spine Center, call (603) 740-2526.

About Wentworth-Douglass Hospital

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (wdhospital.org) is a not-for-profit charitable health care organization located in Dover, New Hampshire with a 110-year history of compassionate care and innovation. Serving the Seacoast communities since 1906, it is a family of 3,000 employees including 500+ registered nurses and a medical staff of over 480 physicians and advanced practitioners dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of residents and visitors to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Wentworth-Douglass Hospital was awarded Magnet® designation in 2016, joined the Massachusetts General Hospital family in 2017 and includes a 178-bed hospital, several urgent care and walk-in facilities, multiple testing centers, Wentworth Health Partners (primary and specialty provider practices), The Works Family Health and Fitness Center and the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation.

August 27, 2020

Governor Janet Mills announced today she has signed an Executive Order to protect the health and safety of Maine voters, poll workers, and election officials and to facilitate access to safe in-person and absentee voting in the November general election amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

        “The right to vote is the foundation of our democratic process, and I take seriously our responsibility to ensure that every Maine person has the opportunity to cast their ballot and to do so in a way that protects their health and safety during this ongoing pandemic,” said Governor Mills. “The steps taken in this Executive Order are prudent measures that will facilitate access to voting while protecting the health of voters, poll workers, and election officials. I will continue to work with Secretary of State Dunlap and municipal officials to safeguard the sacred right of all Maine people to vote and to keep them healthy while they do so.”

              “We’d like to thank Gov. Mills for taking these steps to ease the process of administering and participating in an election during this pandemic,” said Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap. “This order will give Maine voters additional time to participate in the democratic process while also strengthening our municipal clerks’ ability to process the unprecedented influx of absentee ballots that we expect for this election.”

In her Executive Order, Governor Mills, among other measures:

• Extends the deadline for voter registration applications submitted by mail or third person from October 13, 2020 to October 19, 2020. In-person voter registration may still occur up to and on election day.
• Allows municipalities to begin processing absentee ballots up to seven days before the general election, rather than four days in statute, to help election officials accommodate the expected increase in absentee voting.
• Authorizes the Secretary of State to issue guidance, in consultation with Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and local officials, to facilitate voting, including the provision and security of external drop boxes accessible only by the clerk for the safe return of absentee ballots.
• Allows municipalities more time to conduct the public process and application necessary to consolidate polling places and allows municipalities to utilize election clerks from abutting counties if none are available in their own.
• Maintains the 50-person gathering limit in each voting space within a polling location to promote appropriate physical distancing, ensures that voting booths remain six feet apart at polling places, and requires voter lines outside of polling places to be marked with signage to enforce physical distancing.

The Governor’s Executive Order may be amended in response to any emerging circumstances that threaten the integrity of the election or the health and safety of voters and election staff.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced on August 17, 2020 that the Online Absentee Ballot Request Service is available for the Tuesday, November 3, 2020 General Election. Any registered Maine voter may choose to vote absentee.

As a result of the coronavirus and efforts to contain it, July 2020 unemployment rates for New Hampshire counties (not seasonally adjusted) ranged from 6.4 percent in Sullivan County to 8.6 percent in Coös County.

Labor force statistics for counties, labor market areas, and selected cities and towns are now available at www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/statistics/laus-data.htm. Data for these areas are not seasonally adjusted, and should be compared with the not seasonally adjusted New Hampshire data (found at the top of the table).

All July 2020 city and town unemployment rates are also available at the location noted above, while historical city and town data are available on our web site at www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/statistics/candt-arch.htm

The July seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for New Hampshire was released on August 18, 2020. That news release is also located at www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/statistics/laus-data.htm.

Save the Date

              UNH Cooperative Extension and NH SBDC are teaming up to bring NH its first Small Business & Community Resiliency Academy. Academy attendees will walk away with the tools they need to develop individualized resiliency plans. We’re kicking things off with two webinars this fall.

Planning for Resiliency

October 21st 8:30 am – 10:00am

October 27th 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

(Same program offered two different times via Zoom)

 

Who should attend: Small businesses, community leaders and volunteers, municipal officials, economic development professionals and those interested in the economic recovery and future planning of their business base and community.

The Resiliency Academy webinar will explore:

• The intersection of small business and community resiliency
• Why it’s important to focus on resiliency planning now
• Factors for building resilience in small business and community
• The Academy plans and agenda

The Small Business and Community Resiliency Academy will launch in the spring of 2021
with one-day workshops throughout New Hampshire.

Register below:
 

October 21st 8:30 am – 10:00am

October 27th 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

In an effort to help small businesses reduce their energy costs and impact on the environment during this difficult time, Eversource has extended the deadline for enhanced incentives on energy saving measures for small businesses to October 15.

Any small business in Eversource service territory can call 1-866-554-6025 to learn more and request an energy assessment. If a customer has concerns about COVID-19 and doesn’t want a technician to visit their business at this time, they also have the option of a virtual assessment via phone or video call.

After the assessment, you will receive a report outlining energy saving opportunities, many that can be installed on the spot for instant savings. You will also receive information on rebates and incentives to offset costs of additional energy saving recommendations. If you participate in a virtual pre-assessment, energy-saving products you can install yourself, such as LED lightbulbs or advanced power strips, will be mailed to you.

The enhanced incentives will be available through October 15, 2020, or while funding lasts.