Future impound lot?
Several committees of the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen, along with the board itself, will meet at City Hall tonight. Among the items of interest is a request by the police department to use city owned land on Dunbarton Road as an impound lot. Impound lots are where towed cars are brought until their owners can pay to get them back. Though that request is at the Committee on Lands and Buildings, the request for nearly forty six thousand dollars to create the lot is at the Committee on the Community Improvement Program. On that agenda, the cops say they’ve all but maxed out their storage capacity at the lots of the five companies the contract with, due to the number of vehicles impounded for “evidence.”
Croasdale: Purchase to protect Massabesic watershed
The Committee on Lands and Buildings will also consider a request from Water Works Director Phil Croasdale to two and a half acres in Auburn known as the Babin Property. Croasdale says the four hundred seventy thousand dollar expense is necessary to protect the watershed area which feeds into Lake Massabesic.
You might remember that eight hundred thousand dollar grant we told you the city received to convert part of the abandoned railroad bed from Mammoth Road to Lake Shore Ave. into a Rail Trail? In that story, we told you that the city would have to come up with a two hundred thousand dollar match for the project. Well, Parks and Recreation Director Don Pinard will be at tonight’s meeting of the Committee on the Community Improvement Program to ask for two hundred grand. How ‘bout that! Of course, if they don’t give the commitment, they’ll lose the grant and who wants that? Right.
Pinard: In search of matching funds
The Committee on Bills on Second Reading will consider an amendment to the city’s Housing Code. The change would require landlords to post their name, address and telephone number, or those of their property managers, inside their buildings. They’ll also be required to post the contact information of the city’s Housing Code Enforcement Division along with a disclaimer saying that tenants should first seek to resolve disputes with their landlord before involving enforcement officials.
On the agenda for the full board is a letter from the Trustees of the Trust Funds warning that the unfunded liability of the city’s Old System Retirement Pension has almost doubled. The trustees wrote that unless the city kicks over more cash to cover the nearly five point four million dollar deficit, the system will run out of money in twenty twenty four based on current assumptions, which include an annual return on investment of five percent.
Martel: Special election to be called
Other than that, there’s a request from the City Clerk for a special election to fill the vacancy created by the death of State Representative Andy Martel in the floterial district that includes Manchester wards Eight and Nine and the town of Litchfield. There are also several employee union contracts seeking approval, including the contract the Association of Manchester Principals’ contract recently approved by the Board of School Committee and yet another one year deal for the Manchester Association of Fire Supervisors, where nothing changes, except they get another pay raise.
News from our own backyard continues after this
Hearings to be held on grant applications
The Derry Town Council will hold public hearings regarding the use of Community Development Block Grant funds on Tuesday, January twenty fourth at 7:30 in the Town Council Chambers in the Derry Municipal Center. The funds are available to municipalities through the N H Community Development Finance Authority. Up to half a million dollars is available for economic development projects, another half a million is available for public facility and housing projects, as much as three hundred fifty thousand dollars is available for emergency activities, and another twelve thousand dollars is available per planning study grant. All C D B G projects must primarily benefit low and moderate income people. The purpose of these hearings is to get feedback on obtaining funds for the interconnection of the municipal water and sewer system of the thirty unit manufactured housing park known as Frost Residents Cooperative, development of a Housing and Community Development Plan, and the creation of a Residential Anti-Displacement and Relocation Assistance Plan.
Those with special needs that must be met to attend the hearing are asked to contact the Town Administrator’s Office not less than five in advance.
West High: Seeking professionals for Career Day.
Manchester High School West is planning a school-wide Career Day on March 29th and organizers want as many members of the community as possible to participate. The structure will be different from similar events that often follow a “career fair”-type format, in which professionals representing various fields set up displays and wait to be approached by interested students.
At West, every teacher will be matched with a guest speaker related to his or her subject area. For example, in the math department, one teacher may host an accountant while other math teachers host a stockbroker or a carpenter. Students will follow their regular schedules and be introduced to a different career field with each class change.
Click photo for good career info, too!
Speakers are asked to give a hands-on or interactive presentation to the classes they meet. West is offering full-day and half-day sessions for interested professionals. Lunch will be provided for all sessions.
Members of the community who wish to participate, or want to learn more, are asked to contact Career Day Advisor Debbie Stratton at d stratton @ m a n s d dot org.
That’s NEWS from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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