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:
City meetings
City meetings are held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green St. (unless otherwise specified on the City’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include:
City Council: May 9, 7 p.m.
Planning Board: May 18, 7 p.m.
Tree Planting
Protecting drinking water begins at the source. In many cases, planting native trees and shrubs along shorelines can improve bank stability, dissipate flood waters, trap excess nutrients, and in turn, result in cleaner water for millions downstream. MRWC recently received federal funding to complete landscape-scale restoration projects throughout the Merrimack River Watershed, and planting trees tops the list. Join other community volunteers to get your hands dirty to improve the health of your local watershed!
For this event, trees will be planted along the Merrimack River just north of the city. The site is actively utilized for agriculture, and the enhanced tree buffer will further reduce runoff, critical to protect the river as a backup drinking water source for city residents.
Visit https://merrimack.org/upcoming-events/ and select this event to register. Location details will be provided after registering.
Municipal Energy Champion Award
The City of Concord has been recognized for its longstanding sustainability, environmental and energy initiatives this month as a recipient of the Municipal Energy Champion Award.
The award was presented to the city during New Hampshire Energy Week, which began on April 11, 2022. New Hampshire Energy Week is a series of annual events that highlights prominent energy topics and issues, provides a forum to examine energy solutions, and brings leading experts together to share perspectives and knowledge.
The Concord City Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the goal of 100% renewable energy in 2018, the City of Concord has been aggressively moving toward developing clean energy sources in all elements of City operations. The 100% Renewable energy resolution states that:
“It is the goal of the City of Concord that 100% of electricity consumed in the City will come from renewable energy sources by 2030, 100% of thermal energy (heating and cooling) consumed in the City will come from renewable sources by 2050, and 100% of transportation used in the City will be clean transportation by 2050. This goal will apply to the entire Concord community, not just municipal government operations.”
Concord is working to deploy at least 4MW of solar generation on city properties, and priority areas include a capped landfill and the Hall Street Wastewater facility.
In addition, the city is currently nearing completion on the replacement of all 2,100 streetlights with high efficiency LED lights. The project has lighting and public safety benefits and will result in significant cost savings of more than $600,000 over 10 years.
The Concord Energy & Environment Advisory Committee meets monthly and recommends best practices in the areas of municipal buildings, facilities and operations; fuels, vehicles, and transportation; food; responsible purchasing; housing; energy sources; air quality; and climate change mitigation and resilience.
Junior Golf Camps
Beaver Meadow emphasizes nine core values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment. Through golf and our core values, your kids and teens will learn life skills like: Making proper introductions, Managing emotions, Resolving conflicts, Setting up step-by-step goals, Planning for the future and Appreciating diversity.
Junior Camp Schedule: July 12-14, 9 a.m.-noon; July 26-28, 9 a.m.-noon; Aug. 17-19, 9 a.m.-noon.
All participants must have a completed registration form to be considered registered. Forms can be downloaded from the button below or be picked up at the Pro Shop.
All participants must be between the age of 8-13. All skill levels welcome!
Spring leaf collection
The City of Concord’s Spring Leaf Collection started April 25. Concord residents with curbside trash collection can participate by placing leaves at the curb by 7 a.m. on their scheduled trash day. All leaves must be in biodegradable yard waste bags and/or rigid containers labeled for leaves.
Leaves raked loosely to the curb are only collected during the City’s Fall Leaf Collection. In the spring, leaves must be bagged or contained for easy pick-up with trash collection. Unacceptable materials will not be collected, including branches, brush, and the use of plastic bags.
Leaf collection will continue for six weeks in coordination with trash collection through Saturday, June 4. The last week of collection will be delayed by one day with no trash or leaf collection May 30 due to the Memorial Day holiday.
Residents can also bring leaves to Gelinas Excavation & Earth Materials Recycling Center at 10 Intervale Road, off of Fort Eddy Road. Drop-off is free with proof of residency. Residents will be required to empty contents at the facility to confirm that loads are 100% free of any unacceptable materials. Any container used to transport leaves to the earth recycling center must be taken back with the resident; bags are not required for drop-off.
Gelinas Excavation & Earth Materials Recycling Center is open with temporary reduced hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Saturday hours are available during leaf collection from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. through June 4, with the exception of Memorial Day weekend when the facility will be closed on May 28. Hours are weather dependent and are subject to change. It is advised to call the recycling center to confirm available drop-off times at (603) 545-4835.
