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:
Everett Arena reopening
After being closed since March due to COVID-19, the Douglas N. Everett Arena will be reopening this weekend. Once other businesses in New Hampshire started to reopen, the Everett Arena also started planning to safely reopen, in accordance with all CDC, State of New Hampshire, and City of Concord guidelines.
More information here.
Concord Area Transit updates
Concord Area Transit is the public transit system providing fixed route transportation Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the City of Concord, New Hampshire. CAT’s three routes are the Crosstown Route, Heights Route, and the Penacook Route. We also provide door-to-door transportation with our Concord Senior Transit and our ADA Paratransit service.
To keep our riders in a clean and safe environment as they travel, Concord Area Transit is taking the precautions listed below to help reduce the spread of COVID-19:
Rider limits are in effect as we’ve reduced the number of individuals that can be on the bus at any given time to allow for social distancing.
We’ve suspended fare collection to avoid cash and tickets changing hands.
Drivers have increased the frequency of their routine cleanings of all frequently touched surfaces such as handrails, seats including the top of the seats and the floors.
We’ve installed a safety barrier between the driver and riders
Hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed on all buses and masks are available upon request.
We’re asking all riders to do their part to help us by following CDC guidelines. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
Wear a mask when on the bus. Use the hand sanitizer provided when you get on and off the bus to keep hands clean. Do your part to maintain social distancing by keeping as much space as possible between you and other riders.
We’re proud to say we’ve been able to keep our transit system open to consumers throughout the pandemic by establishing these safety precautions early on and adjusting our practices throughout the pandemic as new information was made available. In an extra effort to keep everyone safe and comfortable we arranged to have all our bus shelters disinfected and power cleaned one recent Saturday. We intend to continue this practice on a routine basis at least through next summer.
For more information visit our website at concordareatransit.com or call 225-1989.
Drought conditions
Concord has had quite the heat wave this week! Increased temperatures have certainly shown an increase in outdoor water consumption, with the City’s Water Treatment Facility pushing over 6.5 MGD+ (million gallons of water per day) each day this week. As of Aug. 13, moderate drought conditions continue for Concord. The precipitation deficit still continues to grow, now at 6.97 inches below average for this time of year. On a typical year, the City’s Water Treatment Facility pumps an average of 5.5 MGD, but drought conditions continue to increase demand for irrigation and outdoor water use. Although Concord currently does not have any watering restrictions in place, we advise water customers and the community to please use water wisely. Continued high water consumption could lead to possible watering restrictions being instituted in the future.
Water conservation is strongly advised, especially for irrigation and outdoor use, in order to maintain our water resource. Water levels at Penacook Lake remain decent while supplementing from the Contoocook River, but water conservation should be practiced to help maintain lake levels. We understand watering may sometimes be necessary, especially with this recent heat, but we ask the community to please still minimize outdoor water use as much as possible. If watering is needed, water at night or early morning so the water can be properly absorbed instead of being lost to evaporation. Plants, flowers, and lawns may need less water than you think (try watering your lawn for no more than about half an hour a few times a week). Check irrigation systems for leaks and to ensure they are directly watering the vegetation intended (and not the road or sidewalk). Consider using weather-based irrigation controllers to avoid unnecessary watering (watering is not needed if it is raining). We thank Concord residents and businesses that are doing their part to reduce the community’s water consumption. Every drop counts! Find drought updates and more water conservation tips at concordnh.gov/conservation.
Parks and Recreation
Successful Summer Camp Season
Wow! Despite the challenges of COVID-19 and new rules to follow, the department offered a wonderful camp experience to hundreds of kids this summer. We appreciate how parents and campers handled all the new health checks and drop off/pick up procedures. This year, we increased the number of weeks of our Nature Camp, based out of the Merrimack Lodge, and the majority of the weeks were full. Campers enjoyed the lodge as their home base, but spent most of the time outside exploring all the great things White Park has to offer. The kids especially enjoyed learning about what lives in and around the pond.
Our four traditional summer camps were based out of the City Wide Community Center and campers enjoyed playing outside utilizing all the Keach Park amenities. Campers walked or ran daily miles on the new walking path, played tennis, and played basketball on the outdoor courts.
Elbow bumps to all our AMAZING camp counselors who made summer near normal to all our campers!
West Street Ward House
The department is happy to announce that the West Street Ward House can be rented again for private meetings and events. Due to COVID-19, building capacity has been reduced and rental times are limited due additional cleaning protocols. For more information on rentals, please visit our web site.
Fall Youth Soccer Registration Deadline Extended
The registration deadline has been extended for our fall soccer leagues to August 21. Please note that younger age groups have limited space and usually fill up. The department has soccer leagues for the following groups: ages 4 + 5, Grades 1 + 2, Grades 3 + 4 and Grades 5 + 6. All games and practices are held in Concord. Additional information on the leagues and changes related to COVID-19 are available on our web site, concordparksandrec.com.
