Monadnock towns open cooling spaces as heat advisory continues

Municipalities across the Monadnock Region are making indoor public spaces available to help residents cope with the stretch of hot, humid weather.

With a heat advisory in effect through Friday at 8 p.m., municipalities across the Monadnock Region are making indoor public spaces available to help residents cope with the stretch of hot, humid weather expected to last into the holiday weekend. Officials are also directing people to call 211 for details on nearby cooling centers.

In Keene, several options are available. The Keene Family YMCA at 200 Summit Road is offering members and nonmembers a place to cool off in the air-conditioned lobby or use a free cool shower during regular hours, with sign-in required at the front desk. The facility is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and on Saturday, July 4, it will operate from 8 a.m. to noon. The Keene Public Library on Winter Street is also open as an air-conditioned refuge during business hours, with hours listed as 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday; it will be closed Friday and on the 4th of July. City pools at Wheelock and Robin Hood parks will run from 1 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Thursday and Friday, then from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 4th of July.

Other towns have set up limited cooling options as well. Chesterfield Town Hall will be open Thursday and Friday from noon to 6 p.m. The town said the building is air-conditioned and water will be available, though visitors should bring anything else they need, and pets are not allowed. In Peterborough, Town Hall will serve as a cooling center Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Marlow plans to use Town Hall as a cooling center if a power outage occurs, with updates to be posted on the town’s Facebook page. Westmoreland’s Town Hall will also be available on an as-needed basis, and residents can contact Deputy Emergency Manager Scott Talbot at 603-209-7287 by text or phone for help.

Rindge has opened several public buildings during specified hours. On Thursday, Ingalls Memorial Library at 203 Main St. will be open from 1 to 8 p.m., and the Rindge town office at 30 Payson Hill Road will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Rindge Recreation Center at 283 Wellington Road will be available Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Anyone needing cooling options outside those hours can call Rindge Fire Chief Bob Faas at 301-509-8788.