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:
Resident restores Old North Cemetery gate
Concord resident Doug Wyman painted the gate at Old North Cemetery to give it a beautiful, refreshed look. He intends to continue painting a section at a time going forward. Thank you to Doug for his care and willingness to take on this project. We are so grateful for your time and efforts in making this look so nice in our community!
Upcoming
City meetings will be held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green St. (unless otherwise specified on the city’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include:
City Council: Oct. 12, 7 p.m.
Planning Board: Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
Visit concordnh.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx for agendas, which are posted prior to the meetings. View the City calendar for more meetings and events.
Community events
New England Half Marathon: The following streets will be closed on Oct. 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the Delta Dental New England Half Marathon: North Main Street, from School Street to Centre Street; and Park Street, from North Main to North State Street. Coned “runner lanes” to be set on the shoulder of Hopkinton Road; North Main Street (southbound from Bouton Street to Centre Street); and Bouton Street (southbound from Penacook Street to North Main Street). Parking spaces will be encumbered on North State Street, from Capitol Street to Park Street; and on Capitol Street, from North State Street to North Main Street. The marathon begins at Gould Hill Farm in Hopkinton and ends in downtown Concord on North Main Street.
Halloween Howl: Intown Concord is excited to announce that Concord’s 12th Annual Halloween Howl event is returning on Friday, October 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. More than 75 retailers and businesses along Main Street and downtown side streets will be participating in the trick or treat fun. All activities are FREE to the public. Masks are strongly encouraged at this event whenever social distancing is not possible. Parking is available and recommended at the Storrs Street, State Street, or School Street Garages. Please note that North Main Street from Centre Street to Pleasant will be closed to ALL vehicles from 3-8:30 p.m. Visit IntownConcord.org for more details or check out their Facebook Page.
Halloween Trick-or-Treating: Trick-or-treating takes place in Penacook on Saturday, October 30 and in Concord on Sunday, October 31, both from 5-7:30 p.m. Please note that Auburn Street will be closed from Centre Street to Franklin Street.
Absentee ballots for Nov. 2 election
Absentee ballots for the Nov. 2 Municipal Election are now available from the City Clerk’s Office. Residents who are unable to vote at the polls on Election Day, due to absence from town, religious observance or physical disability, may request an absentee ballot from the City Clerk’s Office. You must be registered to vote prior to casting an absentee ballot. Oct. 21 is the last day residents may register to vote prior to Election Day.
Sample ballots for the Election can be viewed online at concordnh.gov/1708/Nov-2-2021-Sample-Ballots.
For more information about the upcoming Election, contact the City Clerk’s Office at (603) 225-8500 or via e-mail at cityclerk@concordnh.gov. The City Clerk’s Office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with extended hours until 6 p.m. on Thursdays.
Public hearing on trails plan
In collaboration with members from the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Trails Subcommittee, and Planning Division staff, the Central NH Regional Planning Commission has drafted a Trails Plan for the City. The Planning Board is holding a Public Hearing to formally adopt the document on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 37 Green St.
If you would like to submit questions or comments prior to the Public Hearing, please contact Beth Fenstermacher at 225-8515 or at bfenstermacher@concordnh.gov.
A public forum was held on Jan. 28, 2020, to solicit input to develop a community vision for trail development; discuss the future of off-road trail development; and, share ideas. Concord TV captured footage at the public forum. Video available on this page, as well as additional information.
In addition, an online survey was available for four months, and filled out by over 500 respondents. The comments and feedback from the meeting and survey are incorporated in the Plan.
For information about existing trails, please visit concordnh.gov/trails.
Ten-digit local dialing effective Oct. 24
Effective Oct. 24, 2021, mandatory 10-digit local dialing is required for all customers in the New Hampshire 603 Area Code.
Why is the local dialing plan changing? On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted an Order (FCC 20-100) approving 988 as the 3-digit abbreviated dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, starting July 16, 2022. Customers must continue to dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach the Lifeline until July 16, 2022. The Order requires all telecommunications carriers, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers, and one-way VoIP providers (covered providers) to make any network changes necessary to ensure that users can dial 988 to reach the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022.
For 988 to work in the New Hampshire 603 area code, 10-digit local dialing must first be implemented. Implementation of this Order requires all covered providers to make 10-digit dialing mandatory for all local calls in the entire New Hampshire 603 area code.
Why is 10-digit dialing going to be required in this area code? The FCC ordered that any area code that has the 988 prefix and has 7-digit local dialing be transitioned to 10-digit local dialing to ensure everyone is able to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline using the 3-digit 988 code.
Will everyone in the 603 area code have to dial 10 digits for local calls? Yes. Every customer with a number from the 603 area code will change to mandatory 10-digit dialing for local calls. Dialing 7 digits for local calls will be prohibited for all customers in the entire area code.
What will be the new dialing procedure? To complete local calls, the new dialing procedure requires callers to dial the area code + telephone number. This means that all local calls in the entire 603 area code that are currently dialed with 7 digits will need to be dialed using the area code and telephone number.
Alder Creek culvert work
Weaver Brothers Construction will close Alder Creek Drive between Clover Court and Woodbine Avenue beginning Monday, Oct. 4, at 7 a.m. in preparation for the culvert replacement. This closure will last through mid-November and there will be no through traffic. Pedestrians and emergency vehicles will not be able to pass. All residents in the development were notified by the City of this closure earlier this month.
Hoit and Whitney Road work
Clearing along Hoit and Whitney Road has been completed and traffic control signage installed. Early next week, the contractor will install the erosion/sedimentation control measures on Whitney Road and within the state right of way along Hoit Road (US Route 4). The contractor will finish the week on Whitney Road building up the road shoulder in preparation for drainage work the following week.
North Pembroke Road bridge work
Cold River Bridges is hard at work replacing the North Pembroke Road Bridge. The Pembroke side abutment has been completed and the Concord side abutment will be completed this week. Cold River Bridges will be placing the beams on the abutments the week of October 11. If you are traveling on Route 106 near the intersection with North Pembroke Road that week, you may want to seek alternate routes or be prepared for some delays. The beams are approximately 120’ long and weigh around 150,000 lbs. each, so they will be difficult to maneuver down North Pembroke Road from Route 106.
We are currently on schedule to open the bridge to traffic in late November contingent upon weather and unforeseen delays.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the City of Concord Engineering Office at (603) 225-8520 and ask to speak with David Cedarholm (City Engineer) or Todd Welch (Project Manager).
Redevelopment project
Interior asbestos abatement at the former NH Employment Security Property located at 32-34 South Main Street is scheduled to begin on October 4. It is anticipated that the project will be completed by the end of December. The abatement contractor is Envirovantage of Epping, NH. The work is being overseen by RPF Environmental of Northwood NH. Air quality monitoring devices will be installed around the property to protect public safety.
To facilitate the work, roughly 20 parking spaces located at the property will be closed to the public (see graphic below). However, approximately 50 spaces will remain available for public parking.
The City’s budget for the for the project is $400,000; 50% of which is being funded by a grant from the NH Department of Environmental Services. The City is undertaking this work in preparation of selling the property to the John Flatley Company, which plans to demolish the existing 26,000SF office building and construct a new 80,000SF building featuring 64 apartments.
Construction of the Flatley Project is scheduled to begin in spring 2022. Once completed, the Flatley Project will have an assessed value of $8 – $10.24 million and generate between $215,000 – $275,000 of property taxes annually. Due to previous State ownership, the property has been tax exempt since the 1970s.
Concord Municipal Airport RFI
The Concord Municipal Airport has issued a Request for Statements of Interest (RFI) for development of land within the fence line at the airport. The RFI deadline is October 29. The RFI document is available on the City’s website.
Legislative Parking Garage work
The state 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 mid-October.
Fire prevention week
Oct. 3-9 is National Fire Protection Association Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme is “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety.”
Here are some safety tips around this year’s theme:
A continuous set of three loud beeps — beep, beep, beep — means smoke or fire. Get out, call 9-1-1, and stay out.
A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and must be changed.
All smoke alarms must be replaced after 10 years.
Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means the alarm is at the end of its life and the unit must be replaced.
Make sure your smoke and CO alarms meet the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
For more general information about Fire Prevention Week and fire prevention in general, visit fpw.org.
EZ Pay for WaterSense
October is National Energy Awareness Month and EPA WaterSense’s Shower Better Month. Celebrate by entering Concord General Services’ E-Z Pay for WaterSense contest for a chance to win a Shower Better Bundle. Three contest entries will be selected to win a Shower Better Bundle that includes a WaterSense-labeled shower head, eco-friendly products from Bona Fide Green Goods, a shower timer, and other shower necessities to enjoy a luxurious shower while saving water, reducing energy use, and possibly even lowering utility costs.
Concord water/sewer utility customers that enroll in E-Z Pay, the City of Concord’s automatic utility billing payment plan, and submit a contest entry form by 5 p.m. on October 29, 2021 will be entered for a chance to win a Shower Better Bundle. Get a second contest entry by enrolling in eBilling on the contest entry from! Opt-in for paperless billing or elect to receive both an eBill and paper copy of your bill in the mail. Enrollment in eBilling is not required for contest entry.
E-Z Pay is a secure, reliable, and easy payment method for your water/sewer utility bill. Simply link your bank account to your utility service account, and your bill payment will automatically be drafted from your bank each month – making paying your bill easier than ever. You will still receive your monthly statement to see the amount of your bill and the date of the scheduled payment. Save time and don’t worry about anymore late fees with E-Z Pay.
The EPA WaterSense program helps promote water efficiency. Water-efficient products that have the WaterSense label have been certified to meet specific EPA criteria for water efficiency and performance. WaterSense-labeled products use at least 20% less water and perform as well or better than regular models. The City of Concord has been a WaterSense Promotional Partner since 2014 to encourage water conservation and preserve Concord’s public water supply.
Shower better this October and enter the E-Z Pay for WaterSense contest. Customers already enrolled in E-Z Pay are eligible to win, but must also complete a contest entry form to enter. More information, official contest rules, and forms are available at concordnh.gov/watersense, 311 North State St., or by calling the Utility Billing Office at 603-225-8693.
Stuff a cruiser
Thank you to everyone who participated during our Stuff a Cruiser events at Market Basket, Shaw’s and Hannaford. A total of 1,609 pounds of food was donated and $1,860.81 in monetary donations was collected. Combined, this will provide approximately 5,063 meals to those in need. These events were held in partnership with the New Hampshire Food Bank and local organizations The Friendly Kitchen, Salvation Army of Concord, and Friends of Forgotten Children. We appreciate the community support!
