Press Release -- FIRST in ALL NH Schools

[Jessica Boucher]

Some things to note...

Yes, Lynch is up for re-election. But he also has a redicoulsly high approval rating, and I have barely heard/seen an ad for his campaign...because I think he feels he does not need to spend the money. Lynch has always been a huge FIRST supporter, as he frequently visits NH FIRST events and speaks at Kickoff before the NASA feed kicks on. Is it well-timed? Sure. Is it out of character? Not really.

Also of note - the BAE GSRegional in the Verizon Wireless Arena currently is maxed out at 39 teams (which could stretch to somewhere in the low 40s including the hidden rookie spots). It is a fixed hockey arena that can not expand, and to my knowledge is the largest public arena in NH. If the plan is to get 87 public schools on board, plus the 5 existing private school teams and the non-school affiliated groups, we will roughly need at least a second Verizon Wireless Arena to fit the NH teams only.

And finally, it comes back to that dreaded s word - sustainability. If there was any state in New England to do it, NH is it, as it is faring the best in this downturn - but can it be sustained, and is this the right place for our time to be spent? No matter the location, it comes down to those two questions.