The Manchester Board of School Committee approved the tuition agreement with the Hooksett School District last night. Ward 9 Committee member Arthur Beaudry was opposed, and Ward 2 Committee member Debra Langton abstained from the vote. The contract can be viewed on the meeting’s agenda, which we have linked to on this news read.
Central High: Losing one assistant principal
The Manchester School Board also voted to transfer one of the four assistant principals from Central High School to West High School where there is one vacancy. Moving the position will save the district the cost of one assistant principal position. Ward 9 Arthur Beaudry, who voted in favor of the motion, said that Central used to operate with four assistant principals with 2,300 students and should be able to operate with three assistant principals with 1,500 students. This was just one of the several items the school board discussed to save money in preparation for the next fiscal year.
The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission and SmartPower, a national marketing firm in Washington D.C., are working together again this summer and fall to bring Round 3 of the Solar Up New Hampshire solarize program. Seven communities participated in Rounds 1 and 2 last year, which generated a total of 1.35 Megawatts of new renewable solar energy through solar installations at 91 homes and 3 businesses. The towns of Francestown, New Boston and Weare, will participate in Round 3 of Solar Up NH this, which officially began yesterday and will run for 16 weeks until October 15th. Solar Up NH is a community-supported solarize program that offers solar PV energy to homeowners and businesses at discounted pricing to make it more affordable with the goal of lowering the cost of solar and doubling the number of solar installations for homeowners and businesses in each participating community. To learn more and to sign up for more information, visit solar up n h dot com.
Another New Hampshire community is receiving scam IRS calls. Several residents of Goffstown have alerted the police after receiving calls from people claiming to be from the IRS. The Goffstown Police Department would like to remind the public that the IRS sends notices via the U.S. Postal Service and does not call people directly. The police caution residents to not provide any personal information over the phone unless they are sure of who the person is on the other line.
City Hall: Going through significant renovations
Manchester’s City Hall is under construction. The 171 year-old building is showing its age again and these will be the first significant improvements made to the interior of City Hall since the complete restoration in 1998. The Mayor’s Office will be temporarily located at the Manchester Health Department at the Rines Center on 1528 Elm Street beginning on July 5th and lasting until approximately mid-August; however, the phone number and emails for the mayor’s staff will remain the same. On July 5th, the demolition of City Hall East flooring in the common areas and grand staircase will begin. There will be significant disruptions and inconveniences to daily life at City Hall, so the city asks for patience and cooperation during this process. Access to Economic Development and the City Clerk’s Office will also be significantly impacted by the renovations. Customer service staff from the City Clerk’s Office will be temporarily located in a shared space of the Economic Development Office. Customers who are able to mail or drop off vital record requests at the Clerk’s Office are advised to do so during the construction period to avoid inconveniences. The City Clerk’s Office will be open regular hours only through July – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There will be someone there to guide customers through the building and signage will be displayed to help. After the demolition is complete on approximately July 13th, the elevator will be operational again but the grand staircase will remain closed while ceiling work and painting is completed.
That’s some news from our own back yard! There’s more Girard at Large next!
