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:
New Downtown Concord art
Concord General Services’ Downtown Services Team helped install another new art piece last week in downtown Concord! “Earth Arch,” by artist Joe Chirchirillo Sculpture, was installed at the intersection of Storrs Street and Pleasant Street Extension. This is another piece of the Art on Main, Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, organized by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce through its Creative Concord committee and City of Concord. Learn more about the outdoor exhibit at concordnhchamber.com/CreativeConcord.
City meetings
City meetings are held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green Street (unless otherwise specified on the City’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include:
Zoning Board of Adjustment: July 6, 7 p.m.
City Council: July 11, 7 p.m.
Planning Board: July 20, 7 p.m.
Briar Hydro agreement
The city finalized its agreement with Briar Hydro Associates earlier this month. Last week, City officials and community members gathered at Penacook Lower Falls on the Boscawen side of the Essex Hydro plant in Penacook to recognize this agreement. Thank you to Mayor Bouley, Councilors Brown, Champlin and Todd, former City Councilor and Energy & Environment Advisory Committee member Rob Werner, and Essex Hydro COO Madeleine Mineau.
The agreement calls for the City of Concord to commit 9 million kilowatt hours per year of its electricity usage to a group net metering arrangement with Briar Hydro Associates serving as the municipal host. In addition to supporting local renewable energy projects, the City of Concord has separately pursued and competitively bought 100% renewable electricity supply from national renewable projects since December 2016. These national sources are Green-e certified and support the City’s 100% Renewable Energy Goals.
Through this net metering agreement with Briar Hydro, the City is supporting the continued operation and financial performance of a local renewable energy facility by purchasing a portion of the financial credits generated by the hydroelectric facility. The agreement is a win-win as it is expected to generate financial credits for the City of approximately $100,000 per year for 18 years, and furthers the City’s objective to support renewable energy project development and operation in Concord.
Hazard Mitigation Plan Survey
The Concord Hazard Mitigation Committee is updating the City’s 2022 Hazard Mitigation Plan and needs public input regarding severe weather events and hazard prevention.
Please fill out the short survey to assist in getting community voices represented in the 2022 Hazard Mitigation Plan. Your input is greatly appreciated!
The survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/ r/ConcordHazMitNH
Citizen self-service permit portal Coming Soon
A new online citizen self-service permit portal will be available next month. This portal includes online permit applications for Code Administration permits (Building, Zoning, Miscellaneous Permits, and Health & Licensing Permits/Licenses); Engineering; Fire Department Inspections; and Planning.
The portal’s convenient features include online applications for residents and contractors, including a savable template feature for ease of use; easy viewing of inspections and an online calendar; and online invoice payments.
More information will be coming soon and shared here: concordnh.gov/1888/ Citizen-Self-Service-Permits.
Concord TV Government Partnership Award
Thank you to Concord TV for recognizing the Concord Fire Department during their Annual Meeting last week. CFD received the Government Partnership Award. One of our video collaborations with Concord TV about water safety also received a first place ACM – Noreaster Award earlier this year. We are very thankful for this partnership and everything Concord TV does to help us get information out to our community!
New utility billing system launched
The Utility Billing Office has officially launched a new billing system that includes changes to utility bills, account numbers, and online management of accounts for Concord water and sewer utility customers.
New Online Portal: Citizen Self Service (CSS) has launched on the City of Concord’s website and has replaced the existing eSuite Utilities Services web portal. Similar to the previous portal, with CSS you can view an account summary, bill history, consumption history, account transactions, and modify enrollment in eBilling. Features that are new with this portal include the ability to update a mailing address and to pay your bill online. Our existing online Utility Payment System has been discontinued on the City’s website and online bill payments can now be made using CSS. Now, account management and bill payments are easier than ever with one unified portal! A nominal convenience fee will still apply to online bill payments. You will have to register for a new CSS account and will not be able to login using your existing eSuite Utilities Services portal login. Please wait for your new utility bill to arrive first, as you will need your new customer number and account number to create your account. Once your bill has arrived, follow along to the instructions online to set up your account.
New Bills: New utility bills are starting to reach customers now and the next cycle will begin in early July. Bills will have an updated look that is easier to read, more visually appealing, and contain recent consumption history. View a sample of the new bills online.
New Account Numbers: Account numbers have changed to include the first six digits of your existing account number, plus a separate unique customer number. The account number will be associated with the service address for the water/sewer account, while the customer number will be assigned to you. This upgrade allows for enhanced security while enabling the ability to group multiple accounts for easier access and efficient maintenance.
Also, the Utility Billing Office is still in the process of transitioning to a new phone number for bill payments by phone. Customers may continue to use the existing number at this time: 1-800-615-9507.
