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:
Upcoming meetings
City meetings will be held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green Street (unless otherwise specified on the City’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include:
Zoning Board of Adjustment: Aug. 4, 7 p.m.
City Council: Aug. 9, 7 p.m.
Planning Board: Aug. 18, 7 p.m.
Visitconcordnh. legistar.com/Calendar.aspx for agendas, which are posted prior to the meetings. View the City calendar for more meetings and events.
North Pembroke Road Bridge Replacement Project
Beginning July 28, the North Pembroke Road Bridge will be closed to traffic to allow construction to begin. Traffic will be detoured down Borough Road (Pembroke) and Route 106.
The project is scheduled to last to the end of the year, but will be dependent upon weather and other unanticipated construction delays. We appreciate your patience while we complete this important work for the City of Concord and the Town of Pembroke.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the City of Concord Engineering Department at 225-8520 and ask to speak with David Cedarholm, City Engineer, or Todd Welch, Project Manager.
Storrs Street Legislative Parking Garage Work
The State of NH has a contractor team working on rehabilitating the deck and supporting structure of the Storrs Street Legislative Parking Garage. This work will involve intermittent lane closures and maintenance of one-way traffic underneath the garage, as well as parking space and sidewalk closures. Work is expected to continue through September.
Washington Street Bridge Rehabilitation
The Washington Street bridge is closed until late August. Traffic traveling southbound on Washington Street is detoured down Millstream Lane to Borough Road. Traffic traveling northbound on River Road /Washington Street is detoured down Borough Road to Millstream Lane. Below is a plan showing the detour route, which is designated with signage.
If there are any questions or concerns, please contact the Engineering Services Division at 225-8520. We thank you for your patience while we complete this important project.
Neighborhood Street Paving Program
GMI Asphalt is anticipated to soon be completing a shim overlay for Chase Street and a cold plane overlay for a section of Shaker Road. A shim and overlay will be performed on Clinton Street from Princeton Street to South Spring Street around September.
Work is weather permitting. Streets may be reduced to one lane or closed to through traffic. Parking will be prohibited between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Residents will have road access to their homes. Visit http://www.concordnh.gov/pavingplan for more information and to find a tentative paving schedule for next season.
Everett Arena Roller Skating
Next week is the last week for roller skating at the Everett Arena! Don’t miss this limited time event! Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, July 30 will be the last day. Admission is $5 and skate rentals are available if needed for $5 at the Pro Shop. Book a private roller skating event for a birthday party, field trip, or rainout event by calling (603) 228-2784 or sending an email to everettarena@concordnh.gov. Private events only cost $150 an hour and include skate rentals. Visit http://www.concordnh.gov/rollerskating for more information.
Drought Improves
As of July 22, drought conditions continue to improve across New Hampshire. As of last week, Concord is no longer classified as experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
Currently, 47.51% of the state is not experiencing any drought conditions, 32.55% is abnormally dry, 16.91% is in a moderate drought, and 3.03% is severe. Drought conditions continue to recede north thanks to continued rainfall. Precipitation levels in Concord are now 1.99 inches above normal for this time of year. This July has set the record for the 5th wettest month ever in Concord dating back to 1868, totaling 10.69 inches. Unfortunately, rain has largely bypassed northern portions of New Hampshire where drought conditions continue to linger.
Currently, 90 water systems in New Hampshire have watering restrictions in place. At this time, Concord is not implementing watering restrictions since drought conditions have been improving, our water supply remains healthy, and water consumption has decreased to normal levels for this time of year. Recent rain has reduced consumption due to decreased need for lawn watering and irrigation. Concord’s Water Treatment Facility has recently been producing 4.5MGD – 5.0MGD (millions of gallons per day), about 1.0MGD less than previous weeks.
Please continue to use water wisely. Although Concord is in good shape right now, we should continue to be mindful of water use, especially outdoors. Upcoming conditions remain uncertain, so it’s best to remain proactive to preserve our water supply and maintain conditions as best as possible. Simple conservation practices include minimizing irrigation and lawn watering, and inspecting systems for water leaks. Practice watering at night or early morning to minimize evaporation and consider using weather-based irrigation controllers to avoid unnecessary watering if it rains.
Drought conditions will continue to be monitored. We thank everyone for their efforts to conserve water. Every drop counts! Find drought updates and water conservation tips at concordnh.gov/ conservation.
Summer Camp Limited Openings
Despite the rainy weather, the kids at summer camp have been having a blast! It’s hard to believe, but there are only three weeks left! Camps end Aug. 13. We still have limited spots available in weeks 6, 7 & 8. Please visit concordparksandrec.com for more information.
Registration Open Now for Fall Sports
Registration is open for fall soccer and flag football. Space is limited. Please check concordparksandrec.com for details and to register.
Concerts
Concord Parks & Rec is hosting a series of free Tuesday and Thursday night concerts. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Nevers Band plays on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at various locations around the city. Nevers’ Band Concerts are an exciting & fun experience for the whole family! Their diverse repertoire includes popular numbers, patriotic music, classic orchestral transcriptions, music from motion pictures .
Aug. 10: Riverfront Park (behind Everett Arena)
Thursday night concerts are held in Eagle Square beginning at 7 p.m. and feature a variety of musical acts.
MARC BERGER & RIDE: July 29
BAD MEDICINE: Aug. 5
CLUB SODA: Aug. 12
Concord Public Library’s Live Music with the Library concerts are free and everyone is welcome to attend.
NICK’S OTHER BAND: Aug. 18, 6 p.m., Library Lawn off of Prince Street (rain date: August 25). Nick’s Other Band is a high energy band playing classic rock and more.
National Night Out
The Concord Police Department is happy to announce that National Night Out is back this year on Aug. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Rollins Park.
Bring the whole family down and be part of this community event. There is no cost to enter and food is only one dollar with the purchase of a ticket. Parking is also free at Rundlett Middle School with complimentary shuttle service to the park. This year’s festivities will include music, police and fire equipment, K9 demonstrations, touch-a-truck, and so much more.
If you have any questions, you can contact the Community Resources Unit at the Concord Police Department at 225-8600, ext. 3738. Updates will be shared online on the National Night Out page at concordpolice.com as well as on Facebook.
Expanded Hours Beginning August 1
Concord Public Library will be open Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday and Fridya, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Concord TV
We are thankful for the team at Concord TV who is always helping us provide information to the community in many ways.
They recently purchased new video equipment at Council Chambers to replace outdated analog technology. With the return to in-person meetings, this new equipment provides improved video quality, enhanced in-room audio, and the ability to watch live meetings on Youtube.
Concord City Council, Zoning Board, and Planning Board meetings air live on Comcast Channel 17, the City of Concord Youtube Page, and yourconcordtv.org channel 17 live stream. If you can’t tune in live they’re available for rebroadcast and viewing On-Demand anytime.
Talk Concord
Angie Lane, Executive Director of Red River Theatres, joined PIO Stefanie Breton in the Concord TV podcast studio to talk about their reopening and other arts happenings in Concord. Listen on Soundcloud or iTunes.
