Each week, City Manager Tom Aspell installs solar panels on his forehead in hopes of powering his brain with the sun. The panels impair his vision, though, and he walks directly into the statue of Gen. John Stark, smashing it into tiny bits. Bits that spell out the city memo, though.
Granted, they look nice
Tree install syrupy smooth
Seventeen maple trees have been planted at Maple Grove Cemetery, headed up by tree supervisor Ryan Rambeau and the tree crew, along with the help of the cemetery crew, the parks crew, some dudes wearing J. Crew and the General Services Department, Aspell writes.
Once again, this cemetery can live up to its name with the beautiful addition of multiple varieties of maple trees that now line Sewalls Falls Road and Fisherville Road. Good thing it wasn’t named Thorny Bush Cemetery.
Funds for the purchase of the trees came from a grant that the city of Concord recently received. It was called the Literal Interpretation of Your Cemetery’s Name grant.
Steps in the right direction
Actually, no steps at all
Work began Sept. 23 to remove the front steps of City Hall in order to repair and rebuild their foundation, Aspell writes. This work is expected to take approximately four weeks to complete, and in the meantime, visitors will be required to supply their own stepstool. Not really – while the steps are under construction, the public and city staff will enter and exit the building through the side door of City Hall. The side door was selected over an open skylight in the ceiling.
The mail slot for payments on the front door of City Hall will also be unavailable while the work is under way. Sweet, no bills! Oh, wait – during this time, payments may be made at the collections office or placed in the drop box in the lobby during normal business hours, or by mail or online at concordnh.gov.
It’s a fluid situation
Water is wet, moving
Next week, the contractor will continue to relay water services from the new main to the property line between Gates Street and Portland Glass, Aspell writes. Michael Phelps turned down an offer to swim the anchor leg of the water services relay.
They will also relay a small section of water main on Gates Street to the new 12-inch main. Water will be relayed using a crazy straw.
The contractor is scheduled to flush and test the new section of water main between Woodcrest Heights and Old Loudon Road. That’s what we like to call a courtesy flush.
Less going predicted
More not moving expected
Completion of the utility casting work on North State Street should be complete this week, Aspell writes. Once the castings are raised, a crew will be mobilized to trim pavement joints in preparation for the final wearing course overlay. Does the wearing course come before or after coffee and dessert?
This work will take most of this week. Traffic delays are expected on North State Street, from Abbottville Road to Penacook Street. This will be the first ever traffic delay on North State Street (previous sentence excerpted from Complete and Total Lies, by the Concord Insider). Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible. Stay tuned to the on-site message boards for up-to-date information about the paving schedule. Taking an alternate route while remaining up to date on signs on the route you’re not taking will require being in two places at once, and could therefore prove to be quite difficult.
