The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights:
Project First Trainings
The Concord Fire Department’s will hold its free naloxone and hands-only CPR training for the public. The classes will be held Aug. 10, Sept. 8, and Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Concord Fire Department’s Training Grounds Classroom, 109 Old Turnpike Road, Concord. Call to reserve your spot or for more information at 225-8650.
Unitil Vegetation Management
Unitil has notified the city that they will be applying herbicide to manage undesirable vegetation growing within the electric line rights-of-way within the City of Concord as part of their integrated vegetation management program. The right-of-way proposed for treatment runs from the Boscawen town line through Penacook, crossing Macoy Street and Merrimack Street, heading south along Penacook Street, then east through City-owned property along the river oxbow, crossing Sewalls Falls Road, and terminates at the Beaver Meadow Golf Course.
Individuals who own property over which the right-of-way passes, or whose property abuts the right-of-way and who wish to be notified in writing 30 days prior to any treatment must submit a request to Unitil no later than Aug. 14, 2020. Unitil will be delivering an Herbicide Use Notification to all abutters. Any questions, concerns or comments about the herbicide treatment may be directed to Sara Sankowich, System Arborist for Unitil, at 379-3833.
Concord Parks and Rec Updates
Concord Parks & Recreation wants to remind families that we are currently accepting registrations for Youth Soccer (ages 4 to grade 6), NFL Flag Football (ages 6 to 11) and all other fall programs.
The registration deadline for soccer is Aug. 14 and the registration deadline for flag football is Aug. 28. Our recently updated fall brochure and access to online registration is available at concordparksandrec.com. Concord Parks & Recreation will be reopening the City Wide Community Center Wednesday, Sept. 9, with limited hours. Programming will begin the weekend of Sept. 12. Full details will be available on our website after Aug. 20.
Drought conditions
As of July 30, Concord is still experiencing moderate drought conditions. The precipitation deficit continues to grow, now at 5.64 inches below average for this time of year. Hot weather returned last week and continued into this week, which increased the demand for outdoor water use and irrigation. Water consumption averaged 5.6 MGD last week but pushed daily consumption up to 6.5 MGD+. So far this week consumption has been averaging around 6.2 MGD. Despite the heat, we encourage residents to still minimize outdoor water use as much as possible. Decreasing your consumption for irrigation and watering can make a difference in Concord’s water usage.
Please use water wisely. Conservation is strongly advised, especially for irrigation and outdoor use. There are no water restrictions currently in place for Concord, but it is possible restrictions could be instituted based on high consumption. Water levels at Penacook Lake remain decent while supplementing from the Contoocook River. Water customers should practice water conservation techniques as a proactive measure to maintain our water resource. If watering is needed, please water at night or early morning to minimize evaporation and consider using weather-based irrigation controllers to avoid unnecessary watering. Thank you for doing your part to conserve water. Find drought updates and water conservation tips at concordnh.gov/conservation.
Absentee ballot information and updates
There have been changes to the process for voting by absentee in 2020. The 2020 absentee ballot application now has a box to check for those who choose to vote absentee due to concerns for COVID-19. Voters now have the option to request absentee ballots for both the primary and general election on one applications. Residents wishing to vote in New Hampshire who are concerned about participating in-person due to COVID-19 may register to vote, and vote, by absentee for the 2020 elections. Find more information on the State of New Hampshire’s website. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 225-8500 or via email at cityclerk@concordnh.gov with any questions.
Ward 9 Polling Location Change
Due to COVID-19, City of Concord residents in Ward 9 will vote at the City Wide Community Center at 14 Canterbury Road during the New Hampshire State Primary Election on Sept. 8, 2020 and during the general election on Nov. 3, 2020.
More information about elections, including a link to request an absentee ballot, polling locations and hours, voter information, and ward maps, is available online at concordnh.gov/elections. You may also contact the City Clerk’s Office at 225-8500 or by email at cityclerk@concordnh.gov.
