Dateline: Jan. 4, 2026

Extensive Renovations Being Done Inside

Just before Christmas Day, Facilities Supervisor Peter DeSantis gave a personal tour of the remarkable amount of work being done to convert the former Allenstown Elementary School (AES) into the New Town Hall.

Peter (retired) said "This building is a great resource for the town. I wanted to see the renovation process move quickly to completion compared to the previous slow pace. I also wanted to keep costs down by assuming the role as the general contractor."

He also encouraged residents by stating "I invite anyone who can spare some time to contact me to help with some of the maintenance and clean up during renovations."

Peter noted that the new key card system has been installed, the outer door locks have been chjanged, and the fire and security systems are in place.

The Gym

The gym is to be an area of focus for public events, allowing activities to be held indoors instead of unsheltered places like the Town Hall lawn or a business parking lot. To that end, a new access will be cut and security doors will be installed on the front wall of the gym (dark area) to allow people to enter the gym directly. Also, two bathrooms are to be installed on either side of the new main entrance.

Inside view of proposed front entrance to gym.

First Floor

On the left side of the main entrance will an administration office for admitting visitors. To the right is a new concrete wall that blocks off the old entrance to the gym.

Blocked off former entrance to gym

Security doors will be installed on the first and second floors to divide the building into four secure sections accessible only by key card.

A corridor off the front entrance leads to space that the school district is renting for Pre-K classes. This consists of three classrooms, a nurse's office, and a storage room. Access for staff and students is via a secure door at the rear of the building. This side corridor will be blocked off from the main corridor.

On the first floor, several rooms were filled with tables, desks, and chairs that were acquired from businesses in North Hampton and other towns that had renovated their offices. Most rooms measured 26 ft. x 34 ft.

Donated office furniture

The Town Administrator will have the office shown below on the first floor facing Main St.

The Town Administrator's proposed office facing Main St.

A side entrance at the left side of the building will give access to the Town Clerk/Tax Collector's Office, which will face Main St.

A glimpse of the Town Clerk/Tax Collector Office

A few doors down will be two rooms dedicated to the Allenstown Historical Society. These will have windows facing the REO Speedwagon.

Entrance to one of the Historical Society rooms

An example of things that do not meet current building codes are the stairways on each end of the building that lead to the second floor. The handfails now need to extend beyond the bottom step and beyond the top step. The railing frames for the inner handrails need to be replaced to reduce open space. Since the railings were adequate for children, it seemed odd that they were now not up to code for adults.

Current stairway needing upgrading

Second Floor

On the second floor, access to these rooms will require a key card. Bathrooms will be located just outside the security doors.

Three rooms will be rented by Fire Med, a training organization that offers professional training for Fire, EMT, AEMT, and Paramedic personnel. They are currently renting the meeting room at the Fire Station, so this will give them dedicated space for future training classes.

A large conference room (the former school library) is on the west side of the school with large windows facing toward the Merrimack River. It will be an ideal meeting room for the Selectmen, the Budget Committee, or any other group. A raised platform might be built to make the committee members more visible to attendees.

A large conference room

An Employee Lounge is being furnished and should be completed soon.

Other rooms will be made available for lease by local businesses.

This double door will need to be upgraded to meet the fire code.

Upcoming Renovations

In January, all ceiling lights are to be replaced with energy-saving fixtures.

The glass windows on many classroom doors may need to be replaced with safety glass.

By March 2026, all bathrooms are to be remodeled with ADA compliant fixtures. Fewer toilets should be needed since the current ones were installed to handle lots of students.

The old heating system (forced hot water) has been plagued by malfunctioning control valves that would not turn off the heat whenno longer needed. A new heating/cooling system is still under study.

What You Can Do

Stay informed. Much of the work should be done by voting time in March. An open house is planned for May 2, 2026 so that you can get an up close view of this complete makeover.