Each week City Manager Tom Aspell raids everyone’s recycling bins and swipes all the old soup and bean containers he can find, hoping to stage his own film festival. When he discovers it’s not the can festival but rather the Canne Film Festival, he angrily throws the cans outside. Luckily, they land and spell out the city memo.
Poll Position
Sharpen those tiny pencils
Residents will have the opportunity to vote for members of city council, specifically mayor; at-large councilors and ward councilors, as well as for ward officials and members of the Concord school board during the Nov. 5 election, Aspell writes. Votes will not be taken for Overlord of Concord, because we are running unopposed.
Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day, so please return your pole by 7 p.m. Absentee ballots are still available from the City Clerk’s Office for residents who are unable to vote at the polls on election day, due to absence from town or physical disability. You must be registered to vote prior to casting an absentee ballot. We presume you must also be registered to vote to cast a vote in person.
For more information about the election, residents may contact the City Clerk’s Office at 225-8500 or via email at cityclerk@concordnh.gov.
Building Blocks
Cha-ching!
The city was recently awarded $390,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to support renovations to the Children’s Place day-care facility on Burns Avenue and the Community Action Program’s Head Start facility on Old Loudon Road, Aspell writes. At the latter, the funds will presumably allow more heads to start.
The Children’s Place will use funds to renovate bathrooms, flooring, and playground equipment. CAP will use its funds to upgrade sprinkler systems, thereby allowing them to expand capacity from 108 to 145 children. Not in the sprinklers, though; that many children would never fit in there.
Grave lecture offered
Cemetery puns aren’t dead
Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m., historian Glenn Knoblock will give a lecture at the Concord Public Library on gravestones and how these works of art tell long forgotten stories of historical events, such as when people died. He will demonstrate how to read these deeply personal works of art (Insider tip: with a flashlight, if it’s dark out). This program is free and all are welcome.
Constructing a plan
Road work is happening
The utility vault at the intersection of Merrimack Street and Village Street is scheduled to be set Nov. 6 and 7, Aspell writes. Assuming we don’t break into it first. Do you know how much money is in those vaults? You don’t watch enough primetime dramas then.
A traffic lane shift will occur in this area over these two days, including the overnight hours, which sounds supernatural and spooky. A large crane will be used to set up this structure, which pretty much ruins the supernatural angle.
The bridge deck membrane and paving of the southbound lane should be complete by mid-week and traffic across the bridge will then shift to the southbound side in preparation for the northbound lane work. Those who struggle to keep north and south straight should simply follow where the other cars are going.
