We all want Concord to look beautiful. And that’s probably why the city crews do what they do on a daily basis to make it an attractive place to live and visit.
But they can’t do it alone. There’s traffic islands and cul-de-sacs, mulch beds and sitting areas allover the city that need your help. And the adopt-a-spot program is exactly the way you can do your part.
“It became the responsibility of the parks department, grounds division, to take care of the orphaned spots,” said Chris Jacques, grounds division superintendent.
There are well over 50 spots that have been adopted and maintained over the years by families, individuals, businesses and organizations, and that’s great news. Places like Pecker Park in East Concord and on Liberty Street, near White Park, are a couple of good examples of what can be done when you adopt-a-spot.
But when we inquired about possible opportunities for spots to be adopted, we found that there are more than two dozen ones that the city looks after – which is even after they decided to reduce the number of spots they care for on the outskirts of town.
“We have 25 or so good spots, more visible spots, that are available,” Jacques said.
That number could go down, if you decide to sign up.
There are large spots with lots of little jobs to do that are more suitable for a family or organization/business, while others are small and can be handled by one person.
The requirements are to keep the area clean and looking nice. So that can mean as little as picking up trash, spring and fall cleanup, and a little mowing and/or weed whacking. If you want to get fancy and really spruce up your spot, you can always mulch and plant flowers. It’s really how much time and energy you want to put into it.
“There are some areas that are 100 square feet and others that are big like a roundabout,” Jacques said.
If you do decide to take over a spot, which you can choose from the list of available locations, there’s a couple forms to fill out and a two-year agreement. Then it’s up to you to maintain it. You even get a cool sign with your name or organization on it designating it your adopt-a-spot. So if you don’t keep up with your end of the bargain, they’ll know who hasn’t been doing their part.
“People can call and say they’d like to take care of a certain place,” Jacques said.
Some of the more notable places that are in need of an owner are the islands on Loudon Road at the intersection of Hazen Drive and Airport Road, the Durgin Parking Garage – between School and Warren – and the sitting area next to the Storrs Street Parking Garage adjacent to Pleasant Street Extension. There are a couple triangles on North Main Street and on Langley Parkway, near Carmelite Monastery. And that’s just a handful of them.
“If they’re all adopted, that would be a lot of man hours that we wouldn’t have to account for,” Jacques said.
So you must be wondering how to get involved. You can call Concord Parks and Recreation at 225-8690 and check out the adopt-a-spot website, concordnh.gov/ Index.aspx?NID=735.
And if you do decide to get involved, send us pictures fo the spruced up area to news@theconcord insider.com and we’ll put them in the paper.
