Voter Registration & Absentee Balloting

On July 26, Gov. Sununu signed House Bill 1266, which our Legislature passed based on recommendations made by the Secretary of State’s Select Committee on 2020 Emergency Election Support considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill temporarily allows absentee balloting by voters concerned about exposure to COVID-19. The bill also will allow town officials to begin processing ballots several days before the election, though they could not view or tally the votes until Election Day.

Concord’s City Clerk’s Office has already been receiving and mailing out absentee ballots for the September 8 primary election and is expected to mail out ballots for the November 3 general election 30 to 45 days before the election.

If you are a registered voter or will register to vote at least 10 days in advance of an election, you may request and obtain an absentee ballot from the City Clerk. You can also download the application form and get more information about absentee balloting here.

If you have not yet registered to vote, you can register with the City Clerk’s Office. Check out more information about registering to vote.

Finally, completed absentee ballots can be returned by mail, or you can bring them to the City Clerk’s Office. All you need is your ballot and ID. You can also drop off ballots for family members; you just need to sign a form the City Clerk’s Office will provide you.

The State of New Hampshire has also set up a website where you can check the status of your absentee ballots.

Former RIVCO site lease

More details to come, but it looks like Concord’s Company C home furnishings store will be leasing space at the former RIVCO site on Merrimack St. starting this month for warehouse and office space. You may be aware that their showroom moved recently to Storrs St., but this may be temporary depending on proposed redevelopment of that location. We're certainly looking forward to more activity at the site, with continued cleanup and repairs.

The PVA Remembers Liz Blanchard

We are saddened to hear of the passing of PVA supporter and our friend, Elizabeth Blanchard. Liz attended many PVA meetings and working sessions throughout the years and was a strong voice for our community as City Councilor. Of course, we can't think of Liz without remembering the many years of partnership with her on the event she started: the Annual Tree Lighting, held each December. This year will mark the 15th anniversary, and we are working on plans to safely carry on despite the pandemic emergency. More details to follow. We also still have our Penacook Branch of the City Library thanks to her leadership efforts.

Thank you for everything Liz.  We'll miss you.

Riverside Park volunteer cleanup

Connor Baldwin and his crew of volunteers braved the very hot weather and managed to make great progress at the Riverside Park volunteer cleanup this week.  If you get a chance, stop by to see the walkway cleared and ready for some gravel stone and a generally cleaner and more visible park area.

Donations are being accepted through the Penacook Village Association or at contactus@penacook.org.  Another date for the next round of work will be set for sometime within the month.

Whitney Road off Exit 17 development news

On Wednesday, August 19, at 7:00 pm, the Concord Planning Board will host a preliminary “Design Review” of plans for the new Market Basket and other shops on Whitney Rd. off exit 17.  To attend, please follow the Zoom meeting link.

Public comments will be accepted, and the project details will be presented. You can find more information here.  You can also send your comments to City Planner Heather Shank at HShank@concordnh.gov.


Absentee Ballot Voting

Residents who want to vote in New Hampshire for the 2020 election who are concerned about participating in-person due to COVID-19 may register to vote and vote by absentee ballot. You can find more information on the State of New Hampshire’s website, or please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (603) 225-8500 or by email at cityclerk@concordnh.gov.

Demand for absentee ballots is expected to be great; to help our City Clerk’s Office, please plan on applying sooner than later, and remember to send in your ballot early, as well, to ensure timely delivery of ballots by the U.S. Postal Service.

Riverside Park Volunteer Clean-Up

Penacook native and current Merrimack Valley High School student Connor Baldwin and his team will be helping to clean up Riverside Park on Tuesday August 4 from 12 to 3 pm. For this first volunteer clean-up day, the plan is to pick up trash, rake, weed the walkway, clear out brush along the river, and add mulch to the tree in the center of the park. For future phases, he plans to add gravel to the walkway, add some historical signage, look into improved lighting, and add trash receptacles. He's gotten in touch with the Penacook Historical Society regarding signage. The City of Concord has some granite salvaged from the Tannery collapse/demolition that could be used to create benches.

The PVA is proud to assist by creating a fund so folks can donate to Riverside Park and Connor's efforts. Donations by check should be made out to Penacook Village Association, with "Riverside Park" written on the memo line of the check; please mail to P.O. Box 6174, Penacook, NH 03303, and thank you for your support. If you want to help on August 4th, please contact Councilor Brent Todd for more information at brenttoddconcord@gmail.com.

City Further Reopened for In-Person Services

Many of our City operations have now reopened for in-person service, although continuing to use online services is encouraged.  Department-specific information and business resources are available at www.concordnh.gov/coronavirus.  Although the main branch library is open, our Penacook branch will not be reopening yet.  Unfortunately the branch size doesn't allow for easily operating within the safety guidelines.

Supermarket at Exit 17

At the July 13th meeting City Council voted to approve designing and engineering a multi-lane roundabout at Hoit and Whitney Roads (Exit 17).  Market Basket and other retailers are still very interested and ready to build in Penacook, but that can't happen unless the intersection is improved.  The roundabout design will reach 30% completion, then go back to Council for further review and approval.  This will be the next step and is an important vote, so we'll keep you informed.

Exit 17/Hoit & Whitney Roads development

At the June 8 meeting of the City Council, an item passed to set a public hearing for the July 13th Council meeting to decide on a resolution to appropriate $456,000 for the 100% design/engineering of a multi-lane roundabout at the intersection of Hoit Road and Whitney Road. No development, including the Market Basket store, can be built until this intersection is improved.

The State DOT has recently recommended a two-lane roundabout as the best design choice for the improvement (too much traffic would queue if a stoplight was installed).  The funding source recommended to pay for the design is general obligation bonds.  The design will allow City staff to determine the price of the improvements, so it puts us one step closer to making this project a reality.  More information is available in the report submitted to Council.

Final City Council meeting before FY2021 budget decision

June 15th, at 7:00 pm, City Council will hold the final budget meeting and public hearing before deciding on the FY 2021 budget.  To access the meeting via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85746102836, or by phone: 1-929-205-6099 Webinar ID#:857 4610 2836. 

The City Manager has suggested a 0% tax increase, which we will achieve by not creating a balanced budget for the first time in many years.

Washington St. Bridge

Starting in June, work will begin to repair the red-listed Washington St. Bridge between Fowler St. and Electric Ave.  Work will continue until project completion this November.  During most or all of that time, it may be necessary to close the bridge, so you'll need to follow the detours.  Although the bridge was recently repaved, there are still underlying issues that need attention, or the bridge might face permanent closure.  It was built over Rolfe Canal in 1975 and spans about 69 feet.  The abutments holding the span are deteriorating, and the planned repair work will enable the bridge to safely operate for another 15 years or so, at which time a reassessment will be performed.

Fiscal year 2021 budget

The draft Fiscal Year 2021 proposed budget has been released, and recommends a 0% increase on the tax rate.  The easiest way to understand the budget is to review the Budget in Brief, which you can access here.  It's provides a good overview of what our City taxes pay for, what costs have gone up, and key items in the proposed budget.  Also included is the street paving program, and capital improvement projects like the riverfront park at the former Tannery site.  Please let me know your thoughts or concerns.

Temporary suspension of Pay-As-You Throw bag requirement

At last night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Bouley brought forth a proposal that was approved by Council to temporarily suspend the use of Pay As You Throw (PAYT) purple trash bags starting next week, and running until one week after the expiration of the Governor's executive emergency orders.  This means residents will no longer be required to use the purple bags for trash, but everyone is still required to place their trash in a garbage bag for pickup.  The recycling program and bulk waste disposal will continue as normal.  The purpose of this suspension is to help those who either can't afford the bags or don't want to leave the house to get them.

However, the city council is telling us that you may continue to use the purple bags during this suspension period if you're able to do so.  This, along with recycling, will help keep costs down, because the volume of trash residents create is the main driver of cost.  Without the PAYT program, we'd all be paying more in taxes for trash disposal.  We don't know for how long the Governor's emergency may be extended, but a "worst case" scenario of projected revenue loss through the end of this year is approximately $160,000.  This is because the amount of waste generated for disposal is anticipated to increase by as much as 30% with the PAYT program being suspended.  Waste disposal has actually been reduced by 40% since the PAYT program started in July 2009.

This was also announced on the Concord City website, where further updates will be posted, as well.

Borough Road sidewalk extension proposal

At last night’s city council meeting, there was discussion about a potential extension of sidewalk between Primrose Lane and Alice Drive.  A final pavement overlay of Borough Road, from just east of Blueberry Lane to River Road, has been scheduled for this year, but there was discussion of whether to delay that work and potentially combine it with the sidewalk improvement.  Although no additional damage to the road surface was anticipated with a delay, in the end a majority of Councilors voted to go forward now with just the pavement overlay.  However, we will have another opportunity at the upcoming budget sessions to ask for development of conceptual sidewalks layout designs, costs, and recommendations from the Transportation Policy Advisory Committee. 

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Penacook Village Association is exempt from federal income tax under sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. Contributions to the Penacook Village Association are deductible under sec. 170(b)(1)(a) of the code. Tax ID 27-0511386.

Penacook Village Association, P.O. Box 6174, Penacook, NH 03303 | Copyright 2019, Penacook Village Association