Route 123A Retaining Wall Work and Tonight's Public Meeting

Alstead, NH · October 20, 2026

Frost touched the low hollows before dawn, but the sun is already doing its work on the riverbank. If you have municipal business to bring forward, the town offices are the place to be by five.

The Lead

Drivers who regularly navigate Route 123A know just how fragile the 1,000-foot stretch alongside the Cold River has been since floodwaters overtopped the Vilas Pool Dam. State transportation crews are advancing permanent fixes under projects 43566A and 43566B, building a 140-foot retaining wall beneath the river-facing road edge, replacing aging culverts, and regrading the high rock outcrop just south of the park entrance to funnel heavy runoff back toward the main channel rather than across the pavement.

Tonight at 5:00 PM, the Selectboard meets at 15 Mechanic Street for its weekly public session, with municipal highway updates and cold-weather road preparations front and center. Highway crews plan to finish ditch-clearing and shoulder grading along adjoining connector routes before the ground freezes in November.

Local Pulse

Checklist Supervisors Plan Tuesday Voter Registration Session City Hall Supervisors will register new voters and update checklists at 15 Mechanic Street on October 27 from 6:30 PM.
Transfer Station Resumes Regular Wednesday Morning Hours Community Gates open tomorrow at 7:30 AM, with staff reminding visitors that all disposal stops promptly at 3:45 PM.

Today's Outlook

High 60°F · Low 37°F — Clear
- Grab a light jacket for the morning chill before clear skies warm the afternoon.

What's On Around Town

Today

Beginning Sewing Workshop Keene Public Library (60 Winter St), Keene, 3:30–4:30 PM · Free Hands-on textile basics for young crafters in the Kay Fox Room.
Selectboard Public Session Alstead Town Offices (15 Mechanic St), 5:00 PM · Free Weekly town infrastructure updates and open floor for community questions.
Sol y Canto with Doozy Jane Nova Arts Block (48 Emerald St), Keene, 7:00 PM Bilingual Latin roots music blending lively rhythms with rich vocal harmonies.

Tomorrow

Knit and Needlecrafts Group Shedd-Porter Memorial Library (2 Main St), 11:00 AM · Free
Invasive Plant Workshop Distant Hill Gardens (507 March Hill Rd), Walpole, 2:00 PM · Free
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with The Anvil Orchestra Redfern Arts Center (90 Wyman Way), Keene, 7:30–9:00 PM · $45

Thursday

Preschool Story-Time Shedd-Porter Memorial Library (2 Main St), 11:30 AM · Free
Gathering Waters Lower School Open House Gathering Waters Lower School (98 S Lincoln St), Keene, 4:30–5:30 PM · Free
Cheshire County Conservation District Annual Celebration Walpole Town Hall (34 Elm St), Walpole, 6:00–8:30 PM

Spotlight & Story

The Cold River Winding 23 miles from Crescent Lake down to the Connecticut River, the stream drops nearly 1,000 feet. Along the quiet stretch below the village, sharp eyes can still spot moss-covered granite sluiceways from 18th-century paper mills hidden beneath the hemlock bank.

Alstead Daily Digest — compiled from local sources every morning. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.

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