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:
Trail Guides
Due to the rising cost of printing and supplies, the Conservation Commission had to raise the price for the trail guides to $11 (or $13 if mailed). This price covers the printing cost, no revenue is generated through the sale of the trail guides. The price change is effective as of Jan. 14, 2021.
Skating closed again
Due to warmer than normal temperatures and rain over the weekend, all outdoor ice skating areas are closed. The Parks and Recreation Department hopes to be able to reopen areas sometime this week, weather dependent. As soon as areas reopen, the department will share updates on their social media sites.
Library Book Bingo
Back by popular demand, the winter reading program, Book Bingo, started Jan. 4 for all ages!
The challenge is this: to complete as many squares as you can by Friday, Feb. 26. As you complete each task, record the title of the book in the corresponding square. Every time you complete a Bingo — 5 boxes in a row in any direction — you’ll earn a raffle ticket for our prize drawing. Show your Bingo card to a staff member by Feb. 26 to claim your raffle tickets.
Register and receive your gameboard at curbside or register online and have it emailed to you. Register online at ConcordPublicLibrary.net.
Conservation land acquired
During their January meeting on Monday night, City Council voted to appropriate the sum of $49,900 for the acquisition of conservation land as recommended by the Conservation Commission, authorizing the use of $49,900 in Conservation Trust funds for this purpose, and authorizing the acquisition of land south of and adjacent to the discontinued portion of District No. 5 Road.
The area was identified as a priority for acquisition because it is part of a large unfragmented forest; has moderately high resilience value due to habitat connectivity and ecological integrity; contains productive forest land; is identified as high priority in the Merrimack River Conservation Plan; and is identified as Highest Ranked Habitat in NH in the NH Fish and Game Wildlife Action Plan (WAP).
The property adds to a large contiguous block of conservation land totaling over 1,950 acres in Concord. Country Hill Woods, a 235 acre parcel of city-owned conservation land is located adjacent to the east and north-east of the parcel. Acquisition of the land will provide permanent protection of natural resources. Further, by protecting these unfragmented lands in perpetuity, this area will continue to support a greater diversity of habitats and species.
Everett Arena
Public ice skating is taking place at the Douglas N. Everett Arena Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Sundays 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $6 for ages 14 and up and $5 for ages 13 and below. Skate rentals are available in the Pro Shop for $5. Adult Stick Practice (ages 14 and up) hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Helmet and gloves are required. Admission for adult stick practice is $10.
Masks or facial coverings are required inside of the arena and while on the ice during public ice skating. Masks are recommended while on the ice during stick practice and hockey, but are not required when actively engaged in athletics. Skate rentals will continue to be thoroughly disinfected after each use. Other COVID-19 guidelines at the arena remain in place, including one-way traffic throughout the facility and on the ice, only unlocking building doors 15 minutes prior to events, reducing public skating to 50% occupancy or less, and limiting spectating to immediate family only. Siblings must stay with a parent at all times or the group will be asked to leave. The Everett Arena has been exceeding all guidelines for cleaning and sanitization, has had extra precautions in place for increased air filtration, and continues to provide hand sanitizer throughout the facility.
All Everett Arena visitors and staff will be required to complete a COVID-19 screening in the main entrance lobby. A screening kiosk has been installed that uses touchless mobile technology to guide guests through a COVID-19 risk assessment. The screening process includes scanning a QR code at the arena on your phone, filling out a quick questionnaire, and using a unique QR code that is then generated on your phone to scan at the kiosk to log your visit if needed for contact tracing. The QR code is time sensitive and will expire after the end of the day. Once the code is scanned, visitors will use the hands free thermometer to scan their wrist or forehead for a temperature screening. Paper forms will be available as a backup if a visitor does not have access to a phone or if there are any issues with the kiosk.
Find full COVID-19 guidelines and more information about programs at the Everett Arena at concordnh.gov/arena.
Drought update
As of Jan. 14, Concord is still experiencing abnormally dry conditions. Fortunately, drought conditions improved a couple of weeks ago and downgraded Concord from its previous standing of moderate conditions. New Hampshire now has 49.35% of the state experiencing abnormally dry conditions, increasing in northern areas of the state from last week, while 12.2% of the state remains in moderate drought and 38.45% is not currently experiencing any drought conditions. The National Weather Service predicts a normal probability for precipitation for the region in the next 8-14 days. Concord’s water consumption continues to remain low, which is consistent for this time of year. Please continue to use water wisely. Drought conditions will continue to be monitored. Low-income residential well owners may qualify for assistance with the State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and NH Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission if they are experiencing drought-related loss of a safe, reliable source of drinking water at their primary residence. Short-term relief is available through the Drought Assistance Program for bottled water and financial assistance for activities associated with replacing or improving a homeowner’s well or connecting to an available community water supply. We thank everyone for their efforts to conserve water. Every drop counts! Find drought updates and water conservation tips at http://www.concordnh.gov/conservation.
Bridge repair
Work this week will entail aerial utility coordination to de-energize the power line at the brook crossing to allow safe operation of the crane. Customers will be notified by Unitil of any temporary outages during this work. Once this occurs, E. D. Swett will commence driving sheet piles for the construction of the cofferdams at the bridge abutments.
Parks and Rec Sticker Campaign
Show your support for cross-country skiing at Beaver Meadow. Donations of $25 or more will receive a limited edition “Ski the Beav” sticker. All proceeds benefit the Enhance Skiing at the Beav Project to purchase at tracked groomer for the trails at BMGC. The goal is to raise $100,000 by Aug. 2021. For more information on this project, visit concordparksandrec.com.
Winter operations
Sign up for winter parking ban email notifications at concordnh.gov/notifyme. Sign up for both Winter Storm Event Parking Bans and Winter Maintenance Parking Bans to get alerted for both city-wide and downtown bans. Winter parking bans require all vehicles to be removed from indicated streets between midnight and 7 a.m. for snow removal operations.
Free parking is available in the City garages on weekends, observed holidays, and Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. for permit/lease spaces (marked with signage) and until 9 a.m. for metered spaces. Penacook residents may park at the Canal Street Municipal Parking Lot at the corner of Village Street and Canal Street near Chief’s Restaurant. Although this lot is posted for no overnight parking, the City’s Parking Division will suspend this regulation during city-wide winter parking bans to accommodate Penacook residents. Residents should only park in the public spaces on the south side of the lot along Canal Street.
Concord General Services works as quickly and efficiently as possible to plow the 220 center line miles (440 lane miles) of streets and 90 miles of sidewalks throughout the city on a priority level basis. Plows require a lot of space on the road, which can make plowing difficult if cars are parked on the street, especially on narrow streets. Cars parked in tight areas or on narrow streets can block plows from fitting through the street. We appreciate the community’s cooperation to park off-street, even when a parking ban is not issued, to allow crews to plow more efficiently and restore safe road conditions. Visit http://www.concordnh.gov/winteroperations for more information about the City’s winter operations.
COVID-19 business resources
PPP Re-Opening and New Guidance Info. from SBA: Congress appropriated an additional $284 billion for PPP under the Economic Aid Act. New borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers will be able to apply for a First or Second Draw PPP Loan through March 31, 2021. In order to be eligible to be for a second draw loan, businesses or self-employed individuals must:
Previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will or has used the full amount only for authorized uses;
Has no more than 300 employees; and
Can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts on an annual or quarterly basis between 2019 and 2020.
The Program’s eligibility is expanded to include 501(c)(6)s, housing cooperatives, destination marketing organizations, among other types of organizations;
The SBA announced that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will re-opened the week of Jan. 11. To promote access to capital, initially, only community financial institutions were able to make First Draw PPP Loans on Monday, Jan. 11, and Second Draw PPP Loans on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
The SBA anticipates that there will be enough PPP funds to meet nationwide demand and suggests that borrowers work with their existing financial institution. We encourage businesses to complete their year-end financial statements in order to be prepared to apply.
Learn more at sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program or from the Concord Chamber of Commerce.
