The office of the city manager sent out the weekly City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. You can read the full newsletter by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the Newsletter button on the home page. Here are some highlights from last week’s letter:
Municipal election
The municipal election is Tuesday, Nov. 5 in Concord. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Residents who were unable to register at the City Clerk’s office by Oct. 24 will have the opportunity to register to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Absentee ballots are 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.
Contact the City Clerk’s Office at 225-8500 or cityclerk@concordnh.gov with any questions. For more info, go to concordnh.gov/elections.
Field aeration and fall cleanup
The Parks and Recreation Department started fall aeration on all the athletic fields last week. By the middle of this week, all 20 of the athletic fields used for fall sports will be aerated. Aeration loosens compacted soils, introduces oxygen into the root zone, increases water infiltration and helps control thatch. Staff also began leaf collection in the parks and cemeteries, and will continue doing so for the next month or so, weather permitting.
Road construction updates
Liberty Utilities will be working at the following locations this week:
Broadway (Pillsbury Street to West Street)
Centre Street/Liberty Street (at Roundabout)
Manchester Street (Black Hills Road to Garvin Falls Road)
North State Street (Centre Street to Pleasant Street)
North Pembroke Road (Route 106 to Pembroke line)
Pleasant Street (Spring Street to State Street)
There may be delays, one-lane traffic, possible road closures and encumbrances of parking spaces. Work will generally take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday).
The State of New Hampshire will be installing new steam lines on Green Street and Park Street until November. Work for this week includes the following:
Green Street (School Street to Capitol Street): The sidewalk and parking on the east side of the road will be closed.
Park Street (between North Main Street and North State streets): Portions of the sidewalk and parking will be impacted.
School Street (at Green Street): The road will be closed during the day for steam pipe installation. Traffic will be detoured when necessary.
Two Chamber events this week
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present a diverse offering of upcoming events in the month of November for members and the general public:
100th Annual Meeting and Citizen of the Year Award: Wednesday, 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center, 70 Constitution Ave. $85 per person or $595 for a table of eight (includes dinner). Presented by Merrimack County Savings Bank.
Business After Hours: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Hosted by Boys & Girls Clubs of Central NH at their Concord location, 55 Bradley St. Chamber members $7 prepaid or $10 at the door.
America Recycles Day coming soon
Nov. 15 is America Recycles Day. The recycling industry is significantly changing due to global market conditions and, therefore, has increased the demand for improved quality of materials in an effort to reduce contamination and sustain recycling efforts. The leading source of recycling contamination is plastic film, such as plastic bags. Single-stream recycling programs make recycling convenient and easy, but they are not capable of effectively processing plastic film. Cities that offer convenient single-stream recycling, like Concord, are facing challenges to improve recycling materials to work with the current market.
Increasing consumer education about what materials are acceptable and not acceptable for single-stream recycling has helped raise awareness to keep unacceptable materials, like plastic film, out of recycling. The City of Concord has been proactively educating residents about keeping non-rigid plastic out of the recycling stream through public outreach initiatives and non-compliance tags for curbside collection. The city thanks all residents for making a commitment to recycle better and improving their quality of recyclables.
Concord General Services invites Concord residents to take the #BeRecycled pledge at AmericaRecyclesDay.org to continue to recycle better. Pledge to learn more about what materials are acceptable for recycling in Concord, reduce the amount of waste you produce, recycle more, buy products made from recycled content, and encourage family and friends to do the same. Concord residents that take the pledge and share their pledge on Facebook or Twitter by 5 p.m. on Nov. 15 using #BeRecycled and tagging General Services @ConcordNHGS will be entered for a chance to win a bundle of pay-as-you-throw trash bags. Together, we can ensure the sustainability of recycling by learning and committing to recycle better. Learn more about the City of Concord’s acceptable recycling materials and how you can recycle better at concordnh.gov/recycling.
