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: Aug. 8, 7 p.m.
Planning Board: August 17, 7 p.m.
Zoning ordinance draft, meetings
The latest draft of the city’s new zoning ordinance has been released and is ready for public review! The revised draft is based on public and staff comments. The draft is available online at concordnext.info/zoning-ordinance-draft-july-2022/.
Phase 1 meetings are to review the long awaited draft, which pertains to the majority of districts and the city as a whole.
Phase 1 webinars will be held on Zoom on Aug. 9 (noon-1:30 p.m.) and Aug. 11 (noon-1:30 p.m., 7-8:30 p.m.). In-person meetings will be held in the Council Chambers, 37 Green St., on Aug. 11 (7-8:30 p.m.) and Aug. 16 (7-8:30 p.m.).
I-93 expansion project meeting
Representatives from the state Department of Transportation and McFarland Johnson will meet with the Transportation Policy Advisory Committee to present updates on the Interstate 93 expansion project. All are welcome to attend. The meeting is Aug. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 37 Green St.
Community Center room rentals
The Parks & Recreation Department offers room rentals at four indoor centers. Along with the Green Street Community Center Gym, and the West Street Ward House, we also offer space at the City Wide Community Center and the Merrimack Lodge at White Park. This allows for a great selection of rooms to rent for a variety of uses including; indoor sports, baby showers, children’s birthday parties, business meetings, even small conferences and workshops. Rentals are offered on a space available basis. For information on facilities, rental forms and current rental rates, please visit our Community Center page on the Parks & Rec website.
Drought
As of last week, 82% of New Hampshire (including Concord) continues to experience moderate drought. Severe drought continues for 3.4% of southern areas, while there were some improvements in northern and central areas with 14% of the state now experiencing abnormally dry conditions. Warmer than normal temperatures have been contributing to dry conditions and more precipitation is needed to improve conditions.
Water production at the City’s Water Treatment Facility continues to maintain an average of 5.5 MGD (million gallons per day), with spikes in consumption up to 6.0 MGD on hotter days due to increased irrigation and outdoor water use driven by drought conditions.
Some municipalities and community water systems have started implementing voluntary or mandatory outdoor water use restrictions. Currently, there are no water restrictions in place for Concord since water supply levels at Penacook Lake remain decent (check concordnh.gov/conservation for updates). However, water conservation is strongly encouraged.
Please use water wisely. Be mindful of your water use, especially outdoors. Concord’s water supply is healthy, but we advise water customers to conserve use as a proactive measure to manage our water resource. Simple measures to take when conserving water 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 when it rains.
Drought conditions will continue to be monitored. Updates and water conservation tips can be found at concordnh.gov/conservation.
Neighborhood Street Paving
The City’s Neighborhood Street Paving Program continues with Continental Paving, Inc. as the City’s paving contractor for this year.
Sidewalk reconstruction continues on South State Street and curb re-set is scheduled to start Aug. 3 with completion anticipated early in the following week.
Finish paving has been completed on the following streets:
Centre Street (from N. Main St. to Union St.)
Capitol Street (from N. Main St. to N. State St.)
Green Street (from Centre St. to Prince St.)
North State Street (from Court St. to Capitol St.)
Park Street (from Main St. to Green St.)
North State Street (from School St. to Pleasant St.)
School Street (from N. Main St. to N. State St. and Green St. to N. Spring St.)
Warren Street (from N. Main St. to N. Spring St.).
Green Street (from School St. to Pleasant St.)
Traffic signal replacement started this week at the intersection of Pleasant and State streets and will continue through this week in hopes of getting all of the foundation work completed and a temporary signal set up until the mast arms can be delivered later this year.
Sidewalks on both sides of Pleasant Street from State Street to Odd Fellows Avenue will be removed this week in anticipation of curbing to be re-set the week of August 8. After the curb is re-set, the concrete sidewalks will be replaced on this section of Pleasant Street over the next two to three weeks.
This is a tentative schedule and is subject to change. Work is weather permitting. Streets may be reduced to one lane or closed to through traffic. Parking will be limited on these streets between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Residents will have road access to their homes. Find more information and a tentative schedule of streets approved for paving at concordnh.gov/ pavingplan.
Fall soccer registration
The registration deadline for our Fall Youth Soccer Leagues is Friday, Aug. 19. However many of the younger age groups usually fill up before the deadline. The department offers soccer leagues for players as young as 4 years old to 6th grade. Information on our leagues can be found on pages 24-26 of the Summer/Fall Brochure.
