; SP- IWR° CONTRACT REPORT 78-4... , UNDER ... - IWR - U.S. Army

The entire construction and building of the new village was a
conglomeration of input.and help from several sources. There was
a master plan to follow-which Clark, with the help of his - architects
and engineers in the State Planning Office, had created. Person,
serving as construction engineer, directed the whole relocation
process over any obstacles that arose. At the same time that
private and public construction was beginning, the selectmen
were having frequent meetings with the Corps of Engineers, attempting
to derive a just settlement for the town's properties.
,
•
'
Before any construction could. get underway, two major obstacles
had to be hurdled. A section of the new village site had been
leased to a company who set up a small sawmill to cut fallen timber
from the 1938 hurricane. The - lease also included storage rights.
Two million feet of lumber was stacked on the new site. The town
offered to help move the lumber to a railroad siding where it would
eventually have to be transported for shipping. The company accepted
this offer. . : • .
The second problem involved the local power company who had 'a • '
66,000 volt power line stretched across the new site. The first
reply of the power company. was that it would cost $8,000 to move
the line. To resolve this situation, another trade took place:.
The right-of-way necessary for the new line was owned. by locals .-
in the village. They agreed - ta give up the right-of-way without- -
compensation. The . powercompany, partly - out Of good will, agreed
to absorb the rest of the cost and m9ve.the , line. (stiles, The
'
Story of Hills New Hampshire, 1942)•- 1-' ' -
As mentioned earlier, the relocation . and construction of the village
was a potpourri .of cooperation and resources. On April:15, the. '
WPA was solicited with the help of Clark to rough out -the roads
and clear the land for the new village. During _ the latter part
of the relocation, they reiurned - to - iandScape the town.
The contractor who was hired to do the finish work on the tOwn's
roads was also building the new highway on Hill's western border. .
This additional work pi,oved to be advantageous to the contraCtOr -'
in that he was already in the area, and could utilize Machinery '
and manpower which were not needed at the . curiient stage of _
construction on the state highway. . • .
•
Mutual help and cooperation was the theme of the relocation,'as
well as thrift and efficiencS, with a good dose of enthusiasm. While
the construction engiheei, was directing the road work, he would'
have - bulldozers rough - out cellars and clear land for private home
owners (for $15). For some renters in the oid village who did not
have the capital to secure a mortgage, this procedure was very -
helpful because the New Hampshire Savings Bank in Concord would
,
'1 It should be noted that Hill had come into the public eye through
the reporting of sympathetic newspaper editors. In situations such
as this, they rallied behind the Hill residents providing support
through their sway over public opinion in the State.
26
.