By Nathan Duke
Staff Writer

Goffstown selectmen have said they wish for Grasmere Town Hall to be restored and for Rails to Trails to be funded . and television network NBC is listening.

Goffstown is one of 10 towns in New Hampshire that has been chosen to submit a wish to NBC for a new television show called "Three Wishes," which will air in the fall.

The show will help fund and finish a community project or fulfill an individual wish. Recording artist Amy Grant will be the host of the show.

Town Administrator Sue Desruisseaux said she was notified by the New Hampshire Film and Television in Concord on Monday, June 27, about the program and spoke with the selectmen about proposals.

"I called (NBC) immediately and said, .We're interested,." she said.

Submissions for the show are supposed to be either community- based projects, such as a building or development project, or an individual wish, which could include a fantasy, reunion or personal journey. Home makeovers are not accepted.

NBC specified that the prices involved with a submitted wish is not a deterrent.

The town ended up submitting two proposals to NBC.

Desruisseaux said she proposed the restoration of Grasmere Town Hall as one of the proposals.

"The benefit would be that (the town) could have a municipal meeting space that can accomodate more than 50 people," she said.

She said the community theater located on the second floor of the hall will also be restored, in order to provide both a community and children's theater.

Currently, the Mildred Stark Room is the most commonly used meeting space, she said.

The funding of the Rails to Trails project was the second wish submitted to NBC. The selectmen chose the project because it is currently being worked on.

"It was an off-the-top-of-the-head choice," said selectmen Chairman Gossett McRae. "If someone could help us fund it, it would be a wonderful thing."

Desruisseaux estimated the restoration of Grasmere Town Hall at about $600,000, but said Rails to Trails could be a lot more expensive, depending on its final design.

"If (NBC) funded the project, it would save the taxpayers a lot of money," she said. "It will also create connectivity between the two parts of town and relieve motor vehicle congestion. It would have a positive impact on the environment."

Desruisseaux said NBC will narrow the list of communities in the state down to three to five, and then send a camera crew with host Grant to shoot footage.

NBC is visiting towns nationwide to find as many wishes as possible to include as episodes in the show, which will air in the fall. Matthew Newton, from New Hampshire Film and Television, said producers are currently calling towns in which they might be interested. However, he said there is no timeline for when towns may be contacted or guarantee that they will.

Based on community response and preliminary footage, the network will choose two stories . a community-based need and an individual wish . for the show.

Other towns that have submitted proposals include Littleton, Wolfeboro, Keene, Berlin, Rochester, Pittsfield, Franklin, Claremont and Jaffrey.