Approved in last year's budget, the repaving overlay for the full length of River Road and for Bog Road is planned for this summer.
Penacook Branch Library to open this fall
Our new Penacook Branch Library and Activity Center is slated to open this September. Library and recreation staffing at the new branch is also included in this year's budget. There are plans to conduct 52 programs at the new Library (an increase from the current 17), and additional programming will be created by the Parks & Recreation Department. The plan is to evaluate usage metrics of the new open hours of the Penacook Branch, so we should make efforts to visit and use it. After occupancy of the new space, the City plans to divest the property at the current library branch at 3 Merrimack Street, with the requirement to preserve and adaptively reuse the historic building.
City releases draft budget
The proposed fiscal year 2025 budget was released by the Concord City Manager. City Council will be deciding on the recommendation this year for a $170 million budget with a 3.89% tax increase. If approved, this increase in the City portion of our taxes would equate to $130 more annually on a property assessed at $350,000.
Highlights for Penacook in this budget are: $350,000 for structural repairs and design to extend bridge service life on Horse Hill Road over the Contoocook River, payable with general obligation bonds; and $500,000 for design for the collapsed Burnham Brook Culvert located at Whitney Road. The cost for the culvert is to be divided between Water Fund general obligation bonds, donated funds, and the Penacook Village TIF District.
The budget can be found here, with a helpful overview starting at page 16. Meetings will be held at 5:30 pm in Council Chambers on May 20 (discussing Police, Fire, General Services, General Government), May 23 (Library, Parks & Rec, Human Services, CIP projects, TIF Districts), and May 30 (Special Revenue Funds and Enterprise Funds), with a final meeting on June 3 to vote on approval. You can attend any of these meetings and speak to budget items, or send your thoughts to the City Clerk at cityclerk@concordnh.gov.
Update on the Monitor Way project
The Penacook Village Association hosted a community meeting for the Monitor Way project on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. ConcordTV recording the meeting for the community. The development team presented the preliminary design plans to the Concord Planning Board last October.
Canal Street Park groundbreaking and Penacook Landing ribbon cutting
The April snowstorm held back long enough to celebrate the groundbreaking for our new Canal St. Riverfront Park, and the ribbon cutting for Penacook Landing apartments phase 2. As anticipated, demand has been great for the available housing. The Caleb Group's property staff is working through a wait list of 170 people for the 20 apartment units.
Big Red Barn saved
In other barn news, you may have read in the Concord Monitor read that the landmark 1817 barn at the intersection of Horse Hill Black Water and Warner Roads will be saved. The Big Red Barn, as it's been nicknamed, has been purchased by the Cedar Mill Group developers, who plan to restore it.
Sewalls Falls/Abbott Road barn saved
At the April Concord Planning Board meeting, the Board approved plans that will allow the historic barn at 119 Sewalls Falls Road to remain. Million Dollar View, LLC purchased the barn from the prior owner, and the short-term plan is to preserve it and use it for storage. The remainder of the site is 15 lots purchased by Country Estates of Concord, LLC, who are demolishing the existing home and will be constructing 15 new residences.
PVA meeting on Monitor Way project
The Penacook Village Association will be hosting a community meeting for the Monitor Way project on Tuesday May 7 at 6:30 pm at the Penacook Elementary School cafeteria, 60 Village Street, in Penacook. Information will be presented on project updates, including a traffic study, along with an opportunity for questions and answers. Last October, the development team presented to the Concord Planning Board for preliminary design review, and you can see those plans here.
Concord joins Community Power Coalition
The Concord City Council approved at its March meeting to join the Community Power Coalition of NH for electricity supply for current Unitil and Eversource customers. Utilities will still maintain the infrastructure grid, but we will now have an option to purchase the power supply through the Coalition at an anticipated lower rate than charged by the utilities. There have been lots of questions regarding this change, but we expect a robust information rollout before this takes effect.
Unitil Customer Portal changes
For Unitil electricity customers, Unitil is upgrading their online Customer Portal, which means automated phone system transactions will be temporarily unavailable from April 3 to April 7. Credit card and ACH payments may be made online via their one-time payment portal: unitil.com/one-time-payment. Outages can be reported at: unitil.com/report-outage.
Merrimack Valley School District tax rate
The Merrimack Valley School District budget has been approved, setting the education portion of taxes for Penacook residents at $14.71, down from the previous rate of $17.42, and resulting in a savings of about $900 on a property valued at $300,000.
Groundbreaking Celebrations
There are two exciting celebrations coming up for Penacook: the groundbreaking ceremony for our new Canal Street Park on Wednesday, April 3 at 10:30 am. and the ribbon cutting ceremony for phase II of Penacook Landing on the same date at 11:00 am with developer The Caleb Group, adjacent to the park site.
The plan is to complete the park this year, with the amenities expressed during community listening sessions. Penacook Landing phase II offers 20 additional housing units (18 affordable) to our community, and will add $45,000 of property tax revenue annually.
Memorial Day Parade 2024
The PVA Events Committee is planning the third annual Memorial Day Parade in Penacook, which will take place on Sunday, May 26, at 10:00 a.m.
Local businesses and organizations, including school clubs, are invited to participate and march in the parade. If you want to march with us, please email Cindi Jacques at nhfairgirl18@gmail.com.
If you're interested in volunteering to assist either in planning the parade or with the many tasks needed on the day of the parade, please attend any of our organizational meetings at the Penacook Elementary School Media Center, 60 Village Street:
Wednesday, March 6, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, April 1, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, April 22, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, May 6, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, May 13, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, May 20, at 6:00 p.m.
If you cannot attend any of the meetings but still want to help, please contact Cindi Jacques at nhfairgirl18@gmail.com. There is always plenty to do and we can use your help!
Coffee with the Mayor
Mayor Champlin will be holding his Coffee with the Mayor meeting at our Penacook Market Basket Cafe on Saturday March 9 at 9:00 am. This is an opportunity to meet and have a conversation about topics that matter to you.
Merrimack Valley School District board elections and annual meeting
The Merrimack Valley School District will hold their board elections and annual meeting Friday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Merrimack Valley High School at 106 Village Street. Budget details can be found here.
Polls will open for election of Moderator and Board Members at 11:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.; click here to view a sample ballot.
The annual meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. after the voting has closed.
The district’s proposed 2024-25 is available for review here.
City Council meetings — Feb. 20 & Mar. 4
On March 4 at 6:00 pm in City Council chambers at 37 Green Street, the Council will hold its Priority Setting Session. The session will be recorded by Concord TV. The following are the priorities that were set by the Council for 2022-23, in no particular order: Equity and responsible fiscal management are the guiding principles pertaining to all priorities listed below.
1. Balanced Budget Issues: FY 2023 and FY 2024
2. Community-wide Economic Development Initiatives to Expand Tax Base
3. Public Safety Work
4. Recreational/Cultural Opportunities, Parks and Cemeteries
5. Enhanced Community Events/Arts
6. Sustainability Initiatives/Climate Change
7. Transportation
Ongoing Initiatives
1. Former Tannery Site/Park
2. Enhanced Neighborhood Street Program (Paving)
3. Bridges
4. Technology Infrastructure Improvements
Details on the progress of these initiatives can be found in the City Manager's status report. If you have other topics you'd like to see included or where you think the City should concentrate its efforts, please contact Councilmember Brent Todd. His main commitments are our "Core Four" — Police, Fire, General Services, and debt service — but he is always available for any concerns.
Regarding #3. Bridges under the Ongoing Initiatives, there will be a meeting this Tuesday, February 20, at 6:30 p.m. in City Council chambers regarding a potential for a pedestrian bridge park over the Merrimack River in downtown Concord. Look for more information as it becomes available if you cannot make the meeting.
Penacook Library and Activity Center
At the February 12 City Council meeting, the Council accepted the recommendation from the Facilities Naming Committee for "Penacook Library and Activity Center" as the name for our new branch library. The entire building will be called the Penacook Community Center, and the Boys & Girls Club part will be named the Rowe Family Early Learning Center. More information to come regarding the old branch building on Merrimack Street when proposals are brought forward by the city.
CAT Bus Service to Merchants Way Center
The CAT bus service to Merchants Way is planned to commence January 22. Test runs on the route will take place next week. It's anticipated that the time between drop off at Merchants Way and the next return bus will be 47 minutes, which should give folks time to get shopping done at the Market Basket or other retailers.
Banners on Village Street
This summer,the PVA decided to remove the winter banners. The PVA appreciates the community's patience as it continues to review the banner program.
Penacook leaf collection ongoing
Crews are continuing to progress through Penacook streets and those of our neighbors in the South End. Weather conditions are favorable as we find ourselves in the seventh week of the collection process.