Reduce energy
Up for a challenge?
City Manager Tom Aspell was up to his usual memo-writing hijinks. According to Tom, the Concord Energy and Environment Committee will launch the Concord Carbon Challenge on April 22, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Your Home, Your World, 138 N. Main St.
This is an off shoot of the New Hampshire Carbon Challenge, a University of New Hampshire initiative aimed at providing residents and communities with tools and support to help reduce their energy use and save money, Tom writes.
Tom goes on to say that by taking the web-based Concord carbon challenge, residents will learn how they can save an average of over $800 per year and reduce their carbon footprint.
Eight hundred dollars?! Think of all the cardigan sweaters you could buy with that, Tom!
“The Concord carbon challenge is a citywide competition to see which city ward will have the most participation by percentage of residents,” Tom writes. He also wanted you to know that Concord High School students will be on hand with computers and instructions to help people take the challenge at the event or on their own later. Energy saving giveaways will be available for anyone who takes the challenge or pledges to take it at the event.
For more information, contact Rob Werner at 674-9810.
Still constructing
Fisherville Road
Tom has some not-so-surprising news to deliver to you, readers. Construction along Fisherville Road continued this week, including installation of curbs throughout the remaining portions of the phase one section of the project.
In case you were wondering, Tom says that work will also focus on completing the new pedestrian refuge islands along Fisherville Road. Final restoration of disturbed areas with loam and grass seed should be expected in the upcoming weeks, Tom says.
“The gas company’s subcontractor continues to make good progress with the installation of a new main from Elijah Street northerly,” Tom says, but not without adding, “The public’s continued patience with traffic delays is appreciated.”
Limited access
White Park
“Spring is here, better weather is back and Gordon Construction is scheduled to resume work at White Park next week,” Tom says gleefully.
According to the memo, work includes completing the sod placement on the baseball field, loaming and seeding in the open park areas and several punch list and maintenance items noted from last year’s construction.
Now for the bad news: “The construction activities will limit public access to some areas of the park,” Tom writes.
Every cloud has a silver lining. “The public is encouraged to read the construction signs upon arrival. All work is expected to be completed by mid-May,” he says.
93 and 393
Highway projects
Tom wants to make sure your commute goes smoothly and passed on this news via his memo because he’s nice like that.
The Department of Transportation has announced the following highway projects that will impact Concord:
q I-93 paving from Exit 14 northbound to just south of Exit 17: This project will entail re-pavement of the main line highway and Exits 14, 15 and 16. Nothing is programmed for Exit 17.
As part of this program, NHDOT anticipates replacing guard rails and installing a median guard rail where currently there is none or where it exists only in segments, Tom writes. This project will be done in phases and will include significant work to the structure of the I-93 Merrimack River bridge. It is anticipated that the project will start in late June/early July of this year and be completed in the fall of 2010.
Tom continues, construction will take place at night between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. There will be weeks when Exits 14 and 15 in one direction (northbound at one time and southbound at another) will be closed during overnight construction hours, Tom says.
q I-393 resurfacing: According to the memo, the roadway will be microsurfaced; a repavement process that can be completed quickly. This program will encompass I-393 from Exit 3 westward to the railroad bridge. This project will start in late June/early July and should be completed by September 2009. All work is anticipated to be done at night between 8 p.m. and 6 am., Tom assures us.
There will be occasions when Exit 3 (Route 106) will be closed. At those times, drivers will be detoured to Route106 via Regional Drive, he warns.
For more information about these projects, contact the DOT Public Information Office at 271-6495 or visit nh.gov/dot/projects/index.htm.
Good news
New trees!!!
Tom isn’t all about construction news and limiting our park access. “Using funds from the Conservation Commission’s Tree Program, the commission has contracted with the General Services Department to plant approximately 70 trees throughout the city,” he says with pride.
According to Tom, the trees were given to Groundwork Concord last fall by an anonymous donor. A number of the trees will be used to supplement new landscaping associated with the White Park improvements.
Thanks anonymous donor!
Reduce traffic?!?!
Pleasant markings
We bet you’ve been keeping a close eye on the lane-use markings on Pleasant Street and wondering what the deal was. Well, wonder no more.
According to Tom, the markings on in-bound (east-bound) approaching to the Pleasant/Warren/Fruit Street intersection have been changed to shift the Pleasant Street inbound movement to the right lane, rather than from the left lane.
“This new lane use takes advantage of changes in intersection traffic patterns since the opening of the Langley Parkway and will act to reduce traffic queues and delays, especially during peak traffic periods,” Tom writes.
