Concord City responds to the Coronavirus
Effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020, all City buildings will be closed to the public until further notice. In an effort to decrease social contacts while still providing essential services, the city is asking residents to utilize online services (www.concordnh.gov), the U.S. mail, or the mail slot in the City Hall door.
City staff intends to continue to operate and undertake transactions for residents, as much can be done online or through e-mail, via phone, or drop box. Questions from residents and businesses can and will be answered by phone or e-mail. City employees will be working remotely and on-site and will continue to provide services as needed.
The Police and Fire Departments will continue to serve the community as they have in the past with minor operational adjustments.
City updates will be shared on this page: http://www.concordnh.gov/1743/Coronavirus.
The Merrimack Valley School District will be closed today through Friday, April 3, 2020. Remote learning will begin on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. This is much the same for the Concord School District, which will be closed today through Friday, April 3. Buildings will be open Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 20 for students and parents to collect technology, texts, materials, etc. they will need over the next few weeks. Principals will be on hand in all buildings through 8:00 pm for those parents unable to get there during the day. City staff will be coordinating with the school districts as to operations and contingency planning.
Regarding trash bag availability, calls were made to all outlets that sell the bags to suggest placing additional orders, given the surge in purchasing that has been occurring. Most reported adequate stock remaining and 4 stores placed orders for deliveries this week. Further follow-up will occur next week. To accommodate the increased demand, the city has been in regular contact with WasteZero prepping for a production run to bolster inventories of bags at the warehouse. Currently the city has 25 weeks of supply of the small bags and 50 weeks of the large at the warehouse -- but this would be for normal sales weeks, which we aren't experiencing. Other municipalities are reporting sales surges of 300-800% percent. Please let me know if you're having any trouble obtaining the bags.
State Senator Dan Feltes recently sent a message regarding services available for those in need, including health insurance. Senator Feltes says the New Hampshire Department of Insurance issued guidance outlining health care coverage options and other information available for New Hampshire residents who have recently been laid off or lost their employer-sponsored health insurance benefits. HealthCare.gov has Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) for people who may have recently lost their employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. You can find additional guidance from the New Hampshire Department of Insurance here. The Insurance Department is here to help, you can contact them with any questions at (603) 271‐2261, or by email at consumerservices@ins.nh.gov.
Also please remember that if you have any questions or require additional resources on COVID-19, the 2-1-1- hotline is available 24/7.
Concord Zoning Ordinance public stakeholder session & presentation—Tuesday, Feb. 18 @ 6:00 pm
There will be a Penacook public stakeholder session to review proposed changes to the Concord Zoning Ordinance on Tuesday, Feb. 18th from 6:00 – 7:00 pm at the Penacook Elementary School cafeteria, 60 Village Street. This will be followed by a Public Presentation from 7:00 – 8:30 pm, also at the PES café, that will include a city-wide review of the draft plan. The latest draft ordinance is available at https://www.concordnext.info/category/news/ and will be discussed at the meeting. This is an information session about the work in progress and an opportunity to learn more.
Penacook Landing apartments at the former Tannery site
Due to the warm winter weather a jump on construction has been possible for the Penacook Landing apartments at the former Tannery site. Phase 1 is being constructed right now. The Caleb Group has partial funding for Phase 2 which would be constructed next year. Work on the apartments to be constructed by CATCH on Village St includes finalizing building plans, anticipating construction to start this spring. CATCH has been selected by NH Housing Finance for tax credits but is currently working on acquiring the remainder of build funds needed.
Understanding Property Assessments and Taxation
For those who weren’t able to attend the City Assessing Department’s presentation, a YouTube video is available.
Former Summer Street school property
The new owner of the former Summer Street school property had started some framing and wall construction work. The owner, Steel Brick LLC and Nawaz Azam of Franklin, NH, has Planning Board approval and a building permit to construct seven units. However, he has indicated he may want to build eight units. The existing condominium plan is based on the seven units, so the owner will need to submit a revised plan to Planning Board that notes the allocation of parking to eight units for assessing and documentation purposes. Look for more information in the coming months.
Making Matters NH makerspace
Volunteers have been working over the past months to prepare for the future opening of the Making Matters NH makerspace at the Beede Building on Village St. Laura Miller, founding member and Board President, is giving up the Marketplace New England gift shop she started in 2015 to devote more time to Making Matters. They’re always looking for volunteers and donations. Check out their website for more information: https://www.makingmattersnh.org/.
Winter banners hung up in Penacook
The Penacook Village Association is grateful for our volunteers who hung up the festive banners along Village Street before the snow. Thank you!
Penacook Holiday Tree Lighting
Join us at Boudreau Square in downtown Penacook on Wednesday, December 4th from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.
The Merrimack Valley High School will be serving cookies
The Blanchard Family will have hot chocolate for everyone!
The Penacook Elementary School Chorus will sing carols to get us in a festive mood!
Santa Will Arrive by Special Delivery
There will be a free raffle for kids and a 50-50 cash raffle ($1.00/ticket, $10.00/arm’s length)
Makerspace at the Beede Building
Making Matters NH plans to open their 8,000-square foot maker space in January 2020. That’s a shared workspace for artisans, possibly to include classroom space, a woodshop, prototyping lab, electronics lab, and fiber arts, with a focus on serving small businesses and entrepreneurs through classes and events. They may expand the prototyping lab with high-tech equipment and add a commercial kitchen and metal shop.
They have an event to help them get outfitted in the new space on November 10th & 11th - a Prep & Paint Session, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
That's at the Beede Building, 88 Village St. in Penacook. Stop by to lend a hand!
Developments at the old Summer Street school
The property at 12 Cross St. was purchased last year by Steel Brick LLC of Franklin NH. Steel Brick was re-issued the original building permit that went with the prior owner’s plans for the building, which was to create condo apartments.
In September, Steel Brick inquired with City Engineering staff about picking up where the prior owner had left off and building out the plan. Steel Brick will need to comply with the Planning Board approval for the property including any site work. Both City Code and City Engineering have reached out to get clarification on the owner's intentions.
Keep looking here for hopefully more good news as to adding new housing in Penacook and rehabilitating the building that many of us remember fondly.
Tree Lighting 2019
The 13th Annual Penacook Tree Lighting at Boudreau Square will be held Wednesday, December 4. Assemble at 5:30 pm for free refreshments, the lighting of the tree at 6 pm, live music from the Penacook Elementary School Chorus under the direction of Elaine Hasham, a 50/50 raffle ($1 per ticket or $10 for an arm's length), and a visit from Santa courtesy of the Concord Fire Dept. Fun for the whole family!
Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce newsletter article on Penacook
Thanks to the Chamber for highlighting Penacook on the front page of their newsletter recently.
https://indd.adobe.com/view/a5e2be47-bf86-408d-aa12-4ed6609e9eb9
RIVCO property redevelopment
RIVCO property owner John Wolter's attorney, Phillip Hastings, commented on potential development of the property: "Mr. Wolters is considering a number of different alternatives for the site. At this point, however, it is premature to disclose any details."
Economic development in Penacook
Ward 1 Councilor Brent Todd was asked to speak at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce breakfast forum on October 10 about economic development, in Penacook. Other guests included Concord's Economic Development Director Suzi Pegg, and developer Steve Duprey. Here’s a video of the event (link below).
https://youtu.be/LLy8P3gawAc
Penacook Village Association meeting on affordable housing
This was held on October 1 was well attended, and very informative. For those who missed it, here is the recording (link listed below):
Former Tannery site redevelopment
In September, the City and Caleb Development Corporation closed on the sale of a 2.5 acre piece of the former Allied Leather site being sold by the City to Caleb for their new housing development. The sale price was $540,000 (which was the City’s full asking price). Phase I of Caleb’s development is scheduled for completion in September 2020, and features 34 housing units. It is anticipated that Phase II of the project will begin construction in 2021. You can see foundation working progressing now at the site.
Developments on the proposed supermarket at Whitney Road/Exit 17
Property owners David and Laurie Rauseo requested of City Council in September a public-private partnership to carry out improvements to the intersection of Rte 4 and Whitney Rd. Council then accepted a City report in October that stated the Rauseos "have indicated that they have a full-service supermarket and ancillary retail operators ready to move forward on their property pending resolution to the intersection’s condition."
It was just announced that the new supermarket will be a Market Basket. Next steps include DOT review of the recent traffic conditions in the area and signing off on a proposed design for improvements.
PVA Meeting Tonight, October 1, 2019, at 6:00 pm
The Penacook Village Association is sponsoring a free public event on affordable housing, to be held Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Merrimack Valley High School library. Everyone is invited. Light refreshments will be available.
Our State Senator, Majority Leader Dan Feltes and Speaker of the House of Representatives Steve Shurtleff will be on hand to discuss budget impacts on housing, and answer your questions.
Special guests include City Manager Tom Aspell, CATCH President and CEO Rosemary Heard and NH Housing Finance Authority Executive Director Dean Christon. They will discuss what the City and their organizations do to promote housing options in Concord and NH. This will be an opportunity for all of us to learn more about "affordable," "workforce," "low income," and "Section 8" housing. and have our questions answered. Hope to see you there!
PVA Meeting, October 1, 2019 [updated]
The Penacook Village Association will host an informational meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 6:00 pm, in the Merrimack Valley High School Library. Special guests include Rosemary Heard, President and CEO of CATCH Neighborhood Housing, and Dean Criston, Executive Director of NH Housing Finance Authority, who will discuss what their organizations do to promote housing options in Concord and NH. Special guest, Tom Aspell, Concord City Manager, will present the City’s point of view, and some of our State and City representatives will be present. This will be an interactive meeting, so please bring your questions.