Roy: Not so fast…
The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen met last night, and that’s always fun. During public comment, Planning Board member and former Ward Four Alderman Jim Roy addressed the board about its pending actions over traffic around the new Super Walmart. Roy said he’d been involved on both boards throughout the entirety of the multi year process with Walmart and said many traffic studies and reports had been reviewed and that lots of public comment was taken into consideration in developing the current traffic plan. He opposed the proposal to put a gate on President Road without taking into account any actual data from pending traffic studies. He also explained why the gate at the base of Gold Street was placed where it was and opposed moving it further to the west, saying it would divert traffic through Beech Hill Ave. where many children live. Roy urged the board to consider the data and facts rather than anecdotal evidence and emotion. He also encouraged them and to listen to and take their lead from their colleague, Ward Nine Alderman Barbara Shaw.
Roy will be our guest in the third hour of the show to discuss this whole Walmart issue from beginning to end.
Long: Electronic voter checklist bill in trouble
During his regular legislative update to the board, Aldermanic Chairman Patrick Long, who is also a state rep. from Ward Three, said the bill that would allow the city to pilot an electronic voter checklist system for the presidential election in November was likely to pass the Senate, but not the House. He said several reps simply are not in favor of electronic checklists. Ward Six Alderman Nick Pappas expressed frustration over the lack of support in the House, as did Mayor Ted Gatsas who said he’d he already called reps about the issue and told them that the city was predicting ten thousand more voters in November than there were in the primary. Gatsas encouraged residents worried about long lines to contact their state reps and ask them to support the electronic checklist pilot program.
Levasseur: Not sure about charging out of city residents to use city senior center
Also at last night’s meeting, at-Large Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur brought up a complaint he received from a Bedford resident who was livid about a proposed twenty-five dollar fee that non-city residents may have to pay to visit Manchester’s senior center. Elderly Services Director Gail Senno said the fee would begin on July first and that its purpose is to generate revenue to developing more programming and recognize that Manchester taxpayers are footing the bill for the facility.
Shea: About time…
Ward Seven Alderman Bill Shea agreed with the fee, saying he visited several senior centers when he was on the Senior Center Committee and everyone of them charged non residents. He said it was about time non-residents paid to use the facility.
Sapienza: Gets a laugh
Senno’s request to assess the fee is pending approval of the Committee on Administration and Information Systems, where it is being researched. Levasseur said it was a good thing that people from other communities want to come to Manchester’s senior center and that he wasn’t sure charging them to use the center was a good thing. That led Ward Five Alderman and Administration Committee Chairman Tony Sapienza to quip, quote:
“I’m also concerned that the people of Bedford don’t have twenty-five dollars,”
which caused those present to laugh.
Regulations pass
The board , without any discussion, unanimously approved the so called Uber Ordinance, designed to regulate ride sharing companies. Now, each application for a license to operate a vehicle will carry a fee based on the number of vehicles registered by the companies. It’s four hundred bucks per vehicle, up to ten, three fifty per vehicle from eleven to twenty five, three hundred bucks per vehicle from twenty six to fifty and two fifty dollars for fifty one or more. The ordinance also imposes insurance mandates, additional background checks and drug testing requirements, along with the requisite fees, on drivers.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Loi: New principal
The Hooksett School Board met last night. It was a relatively brief meeting where the board met the man nominated to be principal of the Underhill Elementary School. Ben Loi got thumbs up from the board, which also approved a new provider for their district’s morning and afternoon programs. The town’s Parks and Recreation Department, which handles the its Fun in the Sun Program, will now provide the district’s morning and afternoon programming.
Gatsas: Launching initiative
Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, along with a variety of elected, emergency service, non-profit and business leaders will announce a new initiative to combat the opioid epidemic at a press conference scheduled for ten o’clock this morning at the city’s Central Fire Station. It’s called Safe Stations and the idea behind it is to enable addicts seeking help to go to fire stations in the city to get help. Firefighters would contact treatment and rehab services for those who come looking for assistance.
Trump: Presumptive nominee
The G O P nomination race for President is all but over. After suffering a crushing loss in Indiana last night, Texas Senator Ted Cruz called it a campaign, suspending his efforts but vowing keep fighting for America. New York business mogul Donald J. Trump, who received fifty three percent of the vote, beat Cruz by more than sixteen points and swept the state’s delegates, was magnanimous in victory, congratulating Cruz on being quote “a tough, tough opponent.” Ohio Governor John Kasich said it’s now up to his campaign to stop Trump from getting the delegates he needs to win the convention. Good luck with that!
Sanders: Another upset win
The battle for the Democratic nomination continues as Bernie Sanders came up with an impressive win last night. He beat rival Hillary Clinton by nearly six points in a state he wasn’t expected to win.
That’s news from our own backyard! Girard at Large hour ___ is next.
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