Report: State-owned Hampstead Hospital best site to replace Sununu Center

Apr. 26—CONCORD — A state-hired architectural and engineering firm has concluded the Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility is the best site for a replacement to the Sununu Youth Services Center (SYSC) in Manchester.

The finding comes two weeks after Gov. Chris Sununu signed legislation (HB 49) that provides a $21.6 million budget for a new, smaller facility than the SYSC that is focused more on treatment and less on incarceration.

SMRT Architects and Engineers had looked at the Hampstead Hospital property the state purchased last year along with the SYSC property and the state-owned Londergan Hall at the Hugh Gallen State Office Park South in Concord.

Londergan Hall is the former headquarters for the state Department of Education. It is now vacant while undergoing the removal of asbestos.

The Legislature is considering a capital budget bill this spring that would have the state purchase the Granite State College building in Concord that DOE is using under a leasing agreement with the University System of New Hampshire.

Sununu, former Health and Human Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette and departing Division of Children, Youth and Families Joe Ribsam all had said that the sprawling, 88-acre property in Hampstead appeared to have most potential for cost savings through the shared use of state services.

Early on, this made it clear to many that Hampstead was the front-runner to be chosen.

"New Hampshire is moving quickly to build a new youth development center that is designed for the future of juvenile justice to provide the best outcome for our kids," Gov. Sununu said in a statement. "Creating operational efficiencies is key to meeting that goal, which is just what locating the center in Hampstead would do."

DHHS Interim Commissioner Lori Weaver said the agency is committed to working with local and state officials as construction of this treatment center occurs in the next few years.

"This is an important first step in a process that will be collaborative between state officials and local stakeholders," Weaver said. "The Department looks forward to sharing the analysis with the Commission to Study Community Impacts of the Secured Youth Development Center as part of its work to ensure a new youth detention facility meets the health and safety needs of youth, families and communities."

Senate Majority Whip Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, state Rep. Jess Edwards, R-Auburn, and other House and Senate leaders embrace the idea of creating this commission to make certain there is transparency and communication that addresses concerns of local residents and officials.

The commission had been contained in an earlier bill (SB 1) Sununu signed last February that postponed the closure of the SYSC until completion of this new treatment center.

The bill was needed because a previous state law called for the SYSC to close last March 1.

Sununu has said he looked forward to bulldozing the SYSC that was built in the early 1990s and named after his father, former Gov. and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu.

Hundreds of former residents have accused former staff of sexually or physically assaulting them at the SYSC and its predecessor Youth Development Center on the property in incidents that go back decades.

Lawmakers have created a $100 million fund to compensate victims.

The plan calls for building a center that has 12 beds with the capacity to serve up to 18 residents.

This study presumed the size of this new center would be up to 25,000 square feet with up to 25 new parking spaces.

The architect evaluated all three sites under eight criteria, scoring each on a scale of 1 for the lowest rating to 5 for highest.

The Hampstead Hospital property scored highest with 34 points out of a possible 40 followed by the SYSC property that had a 30-point score and the Londergan Hall property with 26 out of 40.

The Hampstead parcel got the lowest scores, 3 out of 5, on utilities, proximity to population centers and support services.

The property does not have town water and sewer but there is capacity for new wells and a leach field, the report said.

The parcel "will likely require partnership with State Police/county sheriff for additional law enforcement support," according to the SMRT firm.

"While located in a quiet, lightly populated residential area, the HHRTF (Hampstead Hospital Residential Treatment Facility) site is less than an hour from all four major population centers in NH: the Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth areas. However, there is no apparent access to public transportation for residents," the report concluded.

The SYSC property in Manchester scored lowest with a 1 rating on its ability to share services with other state agencies and the compatibility of uses.

"Based on HB49, the state is planning on divesting the property. If this facility became a standalone facility on a small portion of this site, it is likely that the proposed facility would not be compatible with new development occurring on the remainder of the parcel," the report concluded.

The lowest scores for the Concord property came with ratings of 1 over the "style and feel" of the property, its size and compatible uses.

"The interior square footage of Londergan Hall is oversized for the YDC program. The YDC program would likely utilize two stories of the existing building leaving one above-ground story for expansion space or tenant space for a separate government agency tenant," the report said.

"Co-locating another user group within the same building as a secure housing facility presents a multitude of challenges and would not be our recommendation."

klandrigan@unionleader.com