As the July issue of Beacon went to press, the Andover Community Hub was being honored with an Award of Excellence by the Lakes Region Planning Commission at its 2022 annual meeting dinner on June 29.

The award citation reads: “The Andover Community Hub offers a wide variety of classes, informal gatherings, and events. It provides meeting space for community organizations, and things like birthday, baby, and bridal showers, and anniversary parties. 

“The Hub has no staff and relies on community members to lead, teach, and organize programs. The involvement of anyone who would like to help build the community of Andover and surrounding towns by sharing their ideas, skills, time, and support is welcomed.”

The Lakes Region Planning Commission (LRPC) is “a unique association of local governments that provides comprehensive planning services to meet the diverse needs of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. Our mission is to provide effective planning in order to achieve and sustain a quality environment, dynamic economy, and local cultural values by supporting community efforts through leadership, education, technical assistance, information, advocacy, coordination, and responsive representation.”

The nomination of the Hub as an asset to the wider Lakes Region community came from Andover’s Tina Cotton, who – along with her husband John – has long been involved in various LRPC activities.

Responding to the announcement of the award, Larry Chase, the Hub’s board chair, said: “Although the work of the Hub is focused primarily on the town of Andover, we are especially honored to be recognized by an organization representing the wider community. It is good to have this wider public recognition that the many volunteers who are involved with the Hub are doing something good and useful. It is to these volunteers that our board dedicates this award.”