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:
City news and projects
Face covering ordinance: The City of Concord’s face coverings ordinance expired on June 1, 2021. City Council encourages anyone eligible to get vaccinated and to continue to follow the recommendations set forth by the CDC to slow the spread of COVID-19. Information about vaccines is available through 211. If you are already fully vaccinated, the CDC also has updated guidance online.
Meetings
City Council: June 14, 7 p.m.
Planning Board: June 16, 7 p.m.
Finance Committee: June 21, 5:30 p.m., Public Hearing on FY22 Budget (rescheduled from June 7)
Budget documents are available at concord nh.gov/901/Budget.
Absentee ballots: Absentee ballots for the July 13 Ward Four Special Election are now available from the City’s Clerk’s Office. Residents who are unable to vote at the polls on Election Day, due to absence from town, religious observance or physical disability, may request an absentee ballot from the City Clerk’s Office. You must be registered to vote prior to casting an absentee ballot. July 6 is the last day residents may register to vote prior to Election Day. For more information about the upcoming election, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 225-8500 or via e-mail at cityclerk@concordnh.gov. The City 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.
Parking garage closure: The School Street Garage will be closed June 11, 12, & 13 for the reorganization of lease, permit, and metered parking spaces, prior to pressure washing.
Big Guns Pressure Washing will be pressure washing the City’s parking garages during the following weekends in June – School Street: June 11, 12, and 13, and State Street: June 25, 26, 27. Pressure washing will occur from Friday night to Monday morning. Each garage will be closed to the public overnight from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on these days. Daytime parking will be permitted. All vehicles must vacate the premises by 7 p.m.
Storrs Street Garage: The State of NH has a contractor team working on rehabilitating the deck of the Storrs Street Legislative Parking Garage; this work will involve lane closures and maintenance of one-way traffic underneath the garage at times, as well as intermittent parking space and sidewalk closures. Work is expected to continue into mid-June.
Washington Street Bridge: The Washington Street Bridge will be closed during the day while the contractor is actively working. This closure began on May 3. The closure can be expected between 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., but may be shorter each day based on the contractor’s schedule.
At some point in the coming weeks, the bridge will be closed completely until mid- to late-August, and there will be a follow-up advanced notice with more details.
During the closure, traffic traveling southbound on Washington Street will be detoured down Millstream Lane to Borough Road. Traffic traveling northbound on River Road /Washington Street will be detoured down Borough Road to Millstream Lane. Below is a plan showing the detour route, which will be designated with signage along the route.
If there are any questions or concerns, please contact the Engineering Services Division at 225-8520. We thank you for your patience while we complete this important project.
Water main work: The contractor will be repairing/replacing sewer and drain services on both Joffre and Wiggin Streets. Water services on both Joffre and Wiggin Streets will start to be connected to the new water main. This connection will require access to the homes by the contractor. Water service will be disrupted for 20-30 minutes as the new service is connected. Residents may want to run their cold water for a few minutes once reconnected to the new main if any discolored water is observed. This is not unusual and will clear up quickly.
Beaver Meadow Golf Course
Face coverings are no longer be required to enter the building as of June 2, 2021. We will be continuing with online and phone reservations of tee times. Greens fees can be paid for online and in person. Thank you for your continued support as we look forward to another great summer and fall of golf!
Concord General Services
Everett Arena: Roller skating is returning to the Douglas N. Everett Arena for its sixth summer starting on Wednesday, June 9. New skating hours this year will be Tuesday through Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Roller skating will only be available for a limited time through Friday, July 30. Admission will be $5 with skate rentals available if needed for an additional $5 at the Pro Shop. Book a private roller skating event for a birthday party, field trip, or rainout event. Private events only cost $150 an hour and include skate rentals. Call (603) 228-2784 or email everettarena@concordnh.gov if interested. Visit http://www.concordnh.gov/rollerskating for more information.
The Northern New England Bookfair is coming to the Everett Arena this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5. Capacity will be limited. The City of Concord’s mask ordinance expired at 11:59 p.m. on June 1, 2021. Masks and facial coverings are no longer required within the Everett Arena as of June 2, 2021. This includes employees, vendors, and public visitors. You may continue to wear a mask if you choose. Find more event information at http://www.concordnh.gov/arenaevents.
Find full COVID-19 arena guidelines and more information at concordnh.gov/arena.
Green Street: The front doors of the Green Street Community Center have recently been replaced. The old doors were worn and weathered and in need of replacement. The new doors are now fully up to code with panic exit push bars, providing for fast and easy exit. A handicap door opener push button has also been installed at the top of the existing entry ramp, improving ADA accessibility of the facility. This upgrade is a great improvement to the look and functionality of the community center.
Merrill Pool: Concord General Services’ Public Properties Division has been working with The H.L. Turner Group and South Shore Gunite Pools to fully replace the existing pool structure at Merrill Park to address aging concerns and make improvements for ADA accessibility, increased safety, improved efficiency, and enhanced visual appeal. Construction originally started in September with a majority of work on the pool structure completed. With the return of spring, work has resumed. Pool walls have been tiled, concrete decks have been poured, the interior of the bathrooms have been painted, and the plumbing and drain faceplates have been installed. Plastering for the pool has started as of Thursday and will continue through Saturday. The pebble finish for the beach entry has been completed and the concrete floor of the pool has been power washed. Plastering will be completed today and the pool filling will begin. The pool will be fully filled by Saturday and this will work to cure the plaster under water. Next week the ladders and pool accessories will be installed, and Public Properties staff will receive training for the new automated chemical controller. The last step will be completing a final inspection and clean-up. Construction is anticipated for completion in a couple of weeks. Visit concordnh.gov/publicproperties for more information.
Long Line Road Striping: The City’s contractor, K5 Corporation, continues to complete long line striping throughout the city. Work includes the painting of white fog and skip lines and double yellow lines. Striping will occur for recently paved roads, and restriping will be performed in other areas as needed to improve line visibility and increase driver safety. Work will be completed between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly, weather depending.
Drought conditions: As of June 3, drought conditions improved slightly for Southeastern parts of New Hampshire. Currently, 10.41% of the state is not experiencing any drought conditions, 82.37% is experiencing abnormally dry conditions (including Concord), and 7.22% is categorized in a moderate drought. Rain from this past weekend helped improve conditions slightly by 1.55%.
More precipitation is still very much needed. The precipitation deficit for Concord has decreased about an inch since last week from the rain, but it is still 4.08 inches below average for this time of year. The National Weather Service predicts a 33-40% probability of below average precipitation for the region in the next 8-14 days. A lot more rain is needed to help make a difference in drought conditions.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) is recommending for outdoor water use restrictions to be implemented for community water systems and municipalities across NH. At this time, Concord is not implementing watering restrictions as our water supply remains healthy. It is possible restrictions may be implemented if drought conditions continue to worsen and if water consumption gets too high.
Water consumption was much higher than average last summer and consumption continues to trend high again this year. Concord’s Water Treatment Facility has been producing 5.8MGD – 6.0MGD (millions of gallons per day) of water for the past couple of weeks. This is above average for this time of year, which is typically closer to 5.0MGD. Increased water use is linked with the return of irrigation and outdoor water use, with higher than average volumes due to dry conditions driven by the drought.
We advise everyone to please conserve water use as a proactive measure to manage our water source. Be mindful of your water use, especially outdoors. Simple conservation practices include minimizing irrigation and lawn watering, and inspecting systems for water leaks. Practice watering at night or early morning to minimize evaporation and consider using weather-based irrigation controllers to avoid unnecessary watering if it rains.
Drought conditions will continue to be monitored. Please continue to use water wisely. We thank everyone for their efforts to conserve water. Every drop counts! Find drought updates and water conservation tips at http://www.concordnh.gov/conservation.
Parks & Recreation
Swim lessons: Regular swim lesson registration will be available online after June 1.
Concord Public Library
As of June 1, Concord Library hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Heights Branch will be open Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
