Items of Note for Monday’s, September 9th City Council Meeting:
Public hearings:
To move a N Main Street bus stop per the request of one lawyer even though it is currently in the safest location. The same lawyer disapproves of the new location because it is closer to his building. Details
To accept a $1.14 million grant for having permitted affordable housing developments in less than six months. Funds will be transferred to the Community Improvement Reserve.
For shared costs of a conceptual study to accommodate Concord School District (CSD) vehicles at the Combined Operations and Maintenance Facility. CSD is purchasing 12 new diesel buses for $1.5 Million.
Citywide Revaluation Project
The last Full Measure and List of all properties in Concord and Penacook was completed 34 years ago. This process involves visiting every property within City limits to verify measurements and update exterior and interior improvements. Information will be used to adjust property market value and equitably distribute the total tax burden. More info here.
Residential properties on the following Ward 5 streets should expect an inspection visit:
All streets on St. Paul's School campus, Acorn Dr, Appaloosa Run, Chestnut Pasture Rd, Clinton St, Coventry Rd, Currier Rd, Deer Track Lane, Dunbarton Rd, Emerson Rd, Fisk Rd, Fiskill Rd, Hooksett Turnpike, Hopkinton Rd, Kipling Circle, Lamprey Lane, Langley Parkway, Little Pond Rd, Long Pond Rd, Loop Rd, Millstone Dr, Palomino Ct, Penacook St, Pleasant St, Reserve Pl, Rum Hill Rd, Sagamore Ct, Shenandoah Dr, Silk Farm Rd, Spillway Lane, Stickney Hill Rd, Thackery Rd, Timberline Dr, Via Tranquilla.
Updates on the Middle School Project:
The new design is 203,000 sq ft; 25% larger than what is eligible for Building Aid.
The project was capped at $152 Million (excluding water, sewer, road infrastructure). At the most, $28.9 Million is available for Building Aid in FY 2026. Concord is second in line and would receive $19.1 Million after Colebrook.
New plans call for clearcutting 23 acres of East Side forest to include athletic fields and a track. Rundlett students currently use the Memorial Field track. A Rundlett rebuild requires no tree cutting. Current plans for a Memorial Field upgrade are $30 Million.
Community & Power:
Former Concord City Planner and Landscape Architect, Bob Pollock and I led a free tree tour on State House grounds for Intown Concord's September First Fridays. Bob has identified 140 different tree species in Concord and we're thinking about hosting more tours in different areas of the City. Interested?
I will be hosting a table at the Multicultural Festival at Keach Park on September 22nd from 11am - 4pm. Stop by to learn about Community Power, empowering community, and new School Board candidate, Andrew Winters!
Two amendments will be on the ballot that empower voters: one requires a simple majority of voters to approve a school relocation, the second requires a simple majority of voters to approve the sale of school property larger than one acre. A public hearing on the amendments will be at Concord High School (CHS) auditorium, September 9th at 6pm.
Scenes from Ward 5: Concord High School
Built in 1927 with new wings added in 1960 and 1996, Concord School District is bonding $17 Million this month to upgrade the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Former CHS teacher and national inspiration, Christa McAuliffe, was honored with a statue on the State House lawn last week. During his Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony last year, former CHS student and Supreme Court Justice, David Souter, stated that the best teacher of his life was at CHS.
Two years ago, CHS students Jenita Aquino-Patzan and Grace Qiu planned, fundraised, and planted this pollinator garden after learning that Concord had lost almost 30% of its tree canopy since 2000. The City Conservation Commission donated the two Serviceberry trees.
Books I am reading: The Great Good place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community by Ray Oldenburg. Available at the Concord Public Library.
The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi. Available at the Concord Public Library.
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