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:
Election info
Absentee ballots: The City Clerk’s Office expects to receive absentee ballots for the upcoming Nov. 3, 2020 Election in early October. Upon receipt of those ballots, from the Secretary of State’s Office, staff will begin processing and mailing out absentee ballots to all residents that have requested them. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 225-8500 or via email at cityclerk@concordnh.gov with any questions.
Registration for November Election: The City Clerk’s Office wants residents to know that Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, is the last day residents may pre-register to vote prior to the State General Election to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The City Clerk’s Office will be open until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Residents will have the opportunity to register to vote at the polls on Election Day if they are unable to get into the Clerk’s office on or before October 21.
The Clerk’s Office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with extended hours until 6 p.m. on Thursdays.
Should residents have any questions they may reach the City Clerk’s Office by phone at 225-8500 or via email at cityclerk@concordnh.gov.
Fire prevention
Oct. 4 through 10 is Fire Prevention Week. This year’s FPW campaign, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” works to educate everyone about the simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves, and those around them, safe in the kitchen.
Parks and Rec
Cemetery Division: Continental Paving is paving more than 1,200 feet of roads in Blossom Hill and Concord Calvary Cemetery this week. The paying project will be finished early next week.
Grounds Division: It’s going to be a great weekend to be outside and enjoy Concord’s parks and open spaces. The Department would like to remind everyone all parks are carry in/carry out of trash. When you cannot maintain at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others, please wear a mask. This weekend we have our youth soccer leagues playing, as well as baseball games at Memorial Field.
Recreation: The Department is currently working on the Winter Brochure for all our youth, adult, and senior citizen programming. The new brochure will be online on Friday, Oct. 9. The majority of our regular winter programming will be back – all with some adjustments due to COVID-19 (youth basketball, adult fitness and enrichment classes, Bill Koch Ski League and much more). Visit our web site on Oct. 9 for more information concordparksandrec.com.
Everett Arena
Ice operations are back at the Everett Arena! COVID-19 procedures are in place in accordance with all CDC, State of New Hampshire, and City of Concord guidelines. The arena is taking special precautions in the interest of public safety, including: keeping facility doors locked until 20 minutes before hockey practices and 15 minutes before ice skating or stick practice, utilizing the main entrance only to enter the building and the side entrance only to exit the building, guests completing a COVID-19 screening, requiring masks while in the building (with the exception of while on the ice), maintaining social distancing, limiting public ice skating to 50% reduced capacity, and limiting adult and youth stick practice to 20 skaters and 2 goalies. Only one parent/guardian (no siblings or additional family members) will be allowed to spectate at stick practice, hockey practice, and public skating. Families can only come to open skate if they are all skating on the ice. Two parents/guardians (no siblings or additional family members) will be allowed for hockey games. The facility also has hand sanitizing stations, improved ventilation and air quality with MERV 13 filtration, and increased cleaning and sanitization.
Ice skating hours are Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday hours will start on October 10. Admission is $6 for ages 14 and up and $5 for ages 13 and below. Skate rentals are available in the Pro Shop for $5. Skate rentals will be thoroughly disinfected after each use. The Pro Shop is offering skate sharpening for $6. All public skaters must skate in the same direction and should follow signage when entering and exiting the ice. Adult Stick Practice (ages 14 and up) hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Additional hours are available Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. through November 25. Admission is $10. Helmet and gloves are required. Youth Stick Practice (ages 13 and below) hours are Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. through Nov. 27. Admission is $10. Full equipment is required. Information about Concord Youth Hockey can be found at concordyouthhockey.org.
Public safety remains first priority, so please follow these new guidelines so everyone can safely enjoy ice skating, stick practice, and hockey. Find a full list of new COVID-19 guidelines and more information at concordnh.gov/arena.
Drought
As of Oct. 1, drought conditions have intensified with Concord now classified to be in an extreme drought. Extreme drought conditions first appeared in communities to the east of Concord last week. Drought conditions in New Hampshire continue to worsen with 10.59% of the state now in extreme drought and most of the rest of the state in a severe drought.
Thankfully Concord finally received some rain yesterday, but not enough to make much of a difference. The precipitation deficit is now at 9.99 inches below average for this time of year. There appears to be a chance of rain anticipated on Friday with not much else in the upcoming forecast. The National Weather Service predicts a probability of 33-40% below average precipitation for the region in the next 8-14 days.
Concord’s water production last week was a daily average of 5.0 MGD (millions of gallons per day), with consumption continuing to trend higher than previous years. Consumption is 11.5% higher than the average of the last 3 years and the drought year of 2016. Dry conditions are persisting and recent warmer temperatures have been returning which has led to continued irrigation and outdoor water use. Thankfully the changing of the seasons led to some decrease in water consumption compared to this summer’s high average of 6.5 MGD (which is about 1 MGD+ more than the average summer). We are hopeful that we will see a continued decrease in consumption as fall continues with less need for irrigation.
We remind everyone to please use water wisely and minimize outdoor water use. Concord’s water supply remains healthy while supplementing from the Contoocook River, but water conservation is still highly advised to maintain our water source and to keep the City’s water production within reasonable limits. Drought conditions will continue to be monitored closely. Watering restrictions are not currently in place for Concord, but it is possible restrictions could be implemented if there is a pattern of high water consumption and drought conditions continue. Find drought updates and water conservation tips at concordnh.gov/conservation.
