Grafton County, New Hampshire
Why Grafton County Trusted Kofile When Time was Running Out
Population: 93,045
Age of oldest record: 1774
The need: Preserving the county’s oldest records before an appropriation deadline to use ARPA funds.
“I just could not be more pleased. The extraordinary customer service, the extraordinary emotional support, the reassurances, the communication — why would you go with anyone else?”
Kelley Monahan, Grafton County Register of Deeds
The Urgency of the Project
For years, records in Grafton County were stored in the basement of the courthouse, a space that used to serve as the laundry room when the historic building was used as a nursing home. When Kelley Monahan took office as the Register of Deeds in 2011, she was concerned about humidity, poor temperature controls, and snow melting through the leaky foundation.
However, without funds to update the space and restore the county’s records, which date back to 1774, Monahan’s best defense was keeping the snow from being plowed in piles against the basement wall. When the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided funding for infrastructure to protect public health, Monahan saw her chance.
“I decided if I’m ever going to do it, this is a way to do it without hitting my taxpayers,” she said.
Local leaders initially awarded the bid to restore and preserve records to a local vendor. However, in the 11th hour, they admitted that they couldn’t finish the project in the five years allotted by the parameters of the federal funding.
By then, the county only had a few months to allocate their ARPA funds before they would lose them. Monahan knew she could trust Kofile with the last-minute request. Though Kofile’s facilities were a state away in Vermont, she convinced county leaders to pivot the funding.
“I said, ‘Hands down, I’m not even going to get another bid. I don’t care what it costs. I’m just going to move with Kofile,’” Monahan explained. “My clock was ticking.”
Kofile’s expert team jumped on the project, traveling to Grafton County immediately to analyze 140 of its oldest records and get the ARPA funds appropriated in time.
“It was just very efficient, very professional,” Monahan said. “I cannot speak enough about how receptive and responsive Carolyn, our Account Executive, was anytime I needed a call and support.”
History Preserved
While Kofile was restoring the county’s books, they also provided high quality digital scans of the records.
“They were originally digitized a long time ago. And the technology is so much better,” Monahan said. “The goal is to read this stuff clearly into the future forever.”
The digital records allowed the public to have access to the documents through the COVID-19 pandemic and for years to come while protecting public health. After receiving the books back, Monahan knew she had made the right choice.
“They came back and were flattened, restored, looking really nice, encased in mylar,” she said. “I just could not be more pleased.”
Proven Trust
Before the project concluded, the final steps had to be done out-of-state. Because of the trust Kofile had earned, Monahan convinced local leadership to let the last books leave New England.
“I was honest about it. With a delegation, I said, ‘It’s going to be my same van driver. I have a relationship. He’s terrific. You should see the way they treat the books.’ ” Monahan recalled.
The records of Grafton County are now restored, accessible online, and safeguarded against the elements for years to come.
“We are a history-rich state. There is respect in my community for these records. They may not understand what we do because it hasn’t touched their life individually. But
I see every day at the counter how much we affect people’s lives,” Monahan said.
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