With a change in leadership, Living Hope Community Church in Penacook got a boost and a facelift! Read the Concord Monitor article by Benjamin Domaingue.
Concord Coaches Find Temporary Home in Penacook
Eight of the original 19th century Concord coaches were moved to their temporary home at the Rolfe Barn on Penacook Street. Read the article on the Concord Monitor by Ray Duckler.
PVA 2021 Annual Meeting
The PVA will hold its annual meeting on Monday, November 29, at 6:30 pm at the Penacook Elementary School cafeteria. The special guest speaker will be Matt Walsh, Director of Redevelopment/Downtown Services/Special Projects, who will discuss the status of the Merchants Way development at Whitney Road/Exit 17, the Penacook Landing apartments phases 1 and 2, the CATCH Rosemary's Way apartments, and the design for a new city riverfront park at the Penacook Landing site.
Masks are required to attend this event, in accordance with the rules of the Merrimack Valley School District.
Concord City Elections on November 2
Check out who’s on the ballot based on your address at https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup and see the sample ballots at the City Clerk’s Office website, https://www.concordnh.gov/1708/Nov-2-2021-Sample-Ballots.
Find out where your polling place is at https://www.concordnh.gov/884/Polling-Locations-Hours.
More information about registering and voting at the City Clerk’s Office, at https://www.concordnh.gov/880/Elections-Voter-Info.
Application for Making Matters NH grant
At the September 13th City Council meeting, a resolution was approved for Making Matters NH authorizing the City Manager to submit an application and accept and appropriate grant proceeds of up to $25,000 of Community Development Block Grant funds to conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study for entrepreneurial and small business technical support services.
Making Matters will use the Planning Grant to hire an external consultant that will assess the current resources and support systems available to entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Capital Region and evaluate the current resource gaps. They will then work with the consultant to develop a plan for additional entrepreneur and small business-focused resources and programming that will best support existing businesses, with the goal of increasing new business creation and growth in the region. Making Matters is home to eleven artists and small businesses and has approximately forty users of its makerspace. They offer Penacook residents a 20% discount for membership.
Potential new cable provider for Concord
A special City Council meeting was held on September 20th with Atlantic Broadband, who are proposing to become the cable service provider by installing, constructing, and operating a cable television system in Concord. The public hearing input period will remain open until October 4. Anyone who wants to submit input can email it to cityclerk@concordnh.gov.
If you missed the meeting, you can watch it on the City's YouTube channel.
Proposed renaming of Columbus Day holiday
At the September 13th City Council meeting, Ward 10 Councilor Zandra Rice-Hawkins proposed changing the name of the Columbus Day Holiday to Indigenous People's Day. A draft ordinance will be presented to Council at the October 12th meeting, where this will likely be set for a public hearing at the November 8th meeting. You can submit your opinions at cityclerk@concordnh.gov where they will be placed in the public record.
CATCH Housing accepting applications
More progress has been made at CATCH's Rosemary's Way housing on Village Street. CATCH informs they are getting closer to move-in dates, and applications are available on their website: https://www.alliancenh.com/ (please use the Central Affordable Application).
You can also call CATCH at 603-223-0810 if you have questions about the property or would like an application mailed. More than 80 packets were mailed out last week, so, as expected, there is great demand and interest in the available units.
Development of Market Basket in Penacook continues to proceed
Great progress on the Market Basket and NH Liquor Store construction has been made, and beginning as early as this Tuesday, logging and clearing operations will begin in preparation for construction of the roundabout traffic improvements. The clearing work should not impact travel on Whitney or Hoit Roads. We anticipate the Market Basket will be open late spring/early summer next year.
Four-Way Stop Signs To Be Installed
The Concord City Council has approved the installation of 4-way stop signs for the intersection of Bog, Horse Hill, Carter Hill, and River Roads. Given a recent accident at this intersection, it was determined the stop signs will help improve safety and hopefully reduce future collisions.
Construction at the New Market Basket in Penacook
Construction for the new Market Basket supermarket and NH State liquor store at Whitney Road is progressing very well. Check out the Facebook page Supermarket at Exit 17 for future updates.
Road Repairs for Penacook Expected Next Year
This year's street maintenance program will focus on the downtown Concord area, but we can expect in the following year reclamation, drainage, and paving work for the following streets in Penacook: Barnett, Bonney, Brodeur, Bye, Canal (from Village Street to Community Drive), Dolphin, Hardy Avenue, Lawrence, Lilac, MacCoy, Merrimack, Shaw, Stark, Steeple View, Summer, Sweatt, Tanner, Webster Place (Elm Street to town line), and Winter.
Concord City Budget for Fiscal Year 2022
The Concord City Council has been meeting to discuss the City budget for fiscal year 2022. There will be a public hearing on June 21 at 5:30 pm at Council Chambers on Green Street if you would like to participate. You can also send your thoughts to cityclerk@concordnh.gov. The budget can be found here.
A 2.5% tax rate increase in the City portion of our taxes is currently proposed, which equates to an annual increase of $57.50 for a $250,000 house. We can expect the following improvements in Penacook:
Four pickleball courts to be installed at Rolfe Park where the former tennis and basketball courts are located.
Design and permitting for the Penacook riverfront park on Canal St.
Maintenance to the Lehtinen Park Hero's Bridge.
Concrete Testing and Life Cycle Cost Analysis for the bridge on Horse Hill Rd. that crosses the Contoocook River.
PVA Meeting — June 16, 2021
The PVA is meeting (virtually) on June 16 at 7:00 pm.
Our guest speaker is Elizabeth Dever, the Executive Director for the Penacook Community Center. She will discuss working through the Covid crisis, strategic planning for the PCC, and their branding efforts.
The PCC is interested in finding out what the needs are in the community, so please join to contribute or just to learn more about the PCC and meet the new ED.
Join us for our meeting through Zoom:
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Meeting ID: 821 2280 2257
Passcode: 893035
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Concord City App To Report Problems
The City of Concord has partnered with SeeClickFix to implement a new citizen reporting platform and mobile app for non-emergency requests. Residents and community members can now use the web portal on the City’s website or download the free MyConcordNH app to easily submit a request to the City of Concord. Examples of requests include potholes, missed trash collection, illegal dumping, parking concerns, snow plowing, and the like.
Once you create an account, you can submit requests that will automatically be directed to appropriate Concord City staff, providing a faster and more direct way to connect with the City. The MyConcordNH mobile app is available for download on Android and iPhone. In addition to the reporting tool, the app includes several links to important City services and information. Email alerts and push notifications for City notices, such as winter parking bans, are also available on the app. Concerns can also be reported through the online web portal by selecting the “Report a Concern” button on the City of Concord home page at concordnh.gov or directly at concordnh.gov/seeclickfix.
Please use Rolfe Park
he City sent out a press release asking residents to help keep an eye out for any suspicious activity at Rolfe Park, as over the past 10 months, the Parks and Recreation Department has had to twice replace the backboard at the Rolfe Park basketball court due to vandalism. Last month when staff replaced the backboard (for the second time) they noticed someone recently cut the metal fencing to the court.
Using the park will help curb vandalism, and certainly if you notice anyone damaging items or any suspicious activity, please notify the Concord Police Department at 225-8600.
Washington Street Bridge closure
The Washington Street Bridge will be closed beginning this Monday, May 3, 2021, from approximately 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (although this timeframe may be shorter on some days based on the contractor’s schedule). In the coming weeks, the bridge will be closed completely until mid- to late August. During the closure, traffic traveling southbound on Washington Street will be detoured down Millstream Lane to Borough Road. Traffic traveling northbound on River Road and Washington Street will be detoured down Borough Road to Millstream Lane. If there are any questions or concerns, you can contact City Engineering Services at 225-8520.
New Penacook Market Basket approved by City Council
City Council has voted to approve the five resolutions required for the building of the new Market Basket and other stores at Whitney Road, along with a new roundabout at the Rt 4 and Whitney Rd intersection. We can expect work to begin on the roundabout in June, which will improve safety and correct a currently failing intersection. If all proceeds according to plan, it’s possible the Market Basket could be open as early as summer 2022. Local access to shopping, tax base expansion, and job creation are three benefits from this development.
Riverside Park Cleanup Phase 2
You’ll remember our local high school hero Connor Baldwin and his efforts last year to spearhead a revitalization of Riverside Park. Connor has plans for some additional work to happen this spring and summer, which will hopefully include more plantings and installing a picnic table.
Donations to help his efforts are still being accepted by us.
Penacook Train Depot property sold
Last month, Penacook’s former commercial train depot, located at the corner of Penacook and Merrimack Streets, sold to Remi Hinxhia, who had been renting it for storage the past year. The understanding is he plans to continue to use it for storage.