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We know that vaccines are safe and remain very effective in preventing hospitalization and
death. A significant portion of the 52.8 percent of people who were vaccinated were vaccinated
more than six months ago, and immunity wanes. Children were only recently approved in the
past couple of months. Getting a booster or completing the vaccine series for most children is
not something that can reasonably be accomplished before the holidays.

Much has been written about the effectiveness of masks, and our understanding of their role in
preventing serious illness in the wearer and in reducing spread in the community in general. The
CDC has updated their assessment of mask effectiveness as recently as December 6". Masks are
unequivocally an important tool in fighting the spread of Covid-19. In fact, in one of the most
controlled settings known, an outbreak of Covid-19 in the contained environment of an aircraft
carrier, wearing a face covering was associated with a 70% reduction in the risk of infection with
Covid-19. Masks have also been proven to be safe. Details can be found on the CDC website.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/20 19-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-sc ience-sars-

cov2. html

We recognize the trend in the uptick in cases during the holidays last year. We saw an increase
in cases during this past Thanksgiving holiday on top of the already increasing number of cases
due to the high transmissibility of the Delta variant. With the onset of the December holiday and
recreational activities, individuals will engage in more indoor activities that will increase
crowding in indoor public settings for gatherings, traveling, shopping and other venues. We
want to increase the protection of everyone during and after those activities. This
recommendation is made based on the substantial and high transmissions that are occurring in
the community setting.

Thus, the Board of Health urges the Board of Alderman to implement a mask mandate and to do
so without delay given the impending Holidays.

Now therefore, the City of Nashua ordains that the following Emergency Public Health Order
adopted by the Nashua Board of Health is hereby approved:

1. Employees of all businesses shall wear a face covering over their mouth and nose when
interacting with the public and whenever they are within six feet of a co-worker or a
customer.

2. Members of the public entering any business, including without limitation any outdoor
area where business of any sort is conducted, work site, or government building must
wear a face covering over their nose and mouth.

3. Members of the public entering a restaurant for the purpose of picking up food for take-
out or any other purpose must wear a face covering over their mouth and nose. Members

of the public dining ata restaurant may remove face covering when actively eating and
drinking.

4. Residents, visitors, and members of the public entering or present at a residential or
commercial building complex of greater than two (2) units must wear a face covering

over their nose and mouth while in common areas and communal spaces.

ORDINANCE O-21-083

5. This order applies to all individuals over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status.

6. A face covering is not required to be worn by any person if said person can show a
medical professional has advised that wearing a face covering may pose arisk to said
person for health related reasons. This exception to the face covering requirement for
health reasons shall require a person to have in his or her immediate possession a written
document executed by a medical doctor, registered nurse practitioner, or a physician’s
assistant authorized to prescribe medication which document certifies that the practitioner
has warned the individual that he or she should not wear a face covering because it would
pose a risk to his or her health.

7. All businesses open to the public, including restaurants, retail stores, service providers,
and places of amusement and recreation, and residential and commercial buildings of
greater than two (2) units shall post at each public entrance a notice stating “FACE
COVERINGS REQUIRED.”

8. Persons engaged in utilizing cardio, strength training, and other gymnasium equipment
may remove the face covering during the actual use of such equipment provided a
distance of six (6) feet from any other person is maintained.

9. Persons at places of amusement, including bingo halls, bowling alleys, charitable gaming
facilities, and similar places where food and drink is served secondarily to the main
activity may remove face covering while actually engaged in eating or drinking and not at
other times.

10. Persons receiving personal care services including hair cutting and other hair treatment,
facials, tattooing, piercing, and similar services, may remove face covering during any
limited period during which the face covering actually interferes with the performing of
the service.

11. For purposes of this ordinance and any other face covering requirements now in force or
hereafter adopted the following words shall have the indicated meanings:

“Business” means any manager or supervisor on the premises when a violation occurs
and any owner of the business.

“Face covering’ means a covering made of cloth, fabric, or other soft or permeable
material, without holes, that covers only the nose, mouth, and surrounding areas of the
lower face. A face covering may be a 2-layer cloth mask or a surgical mask, but may not
be a gaiter or scarf.

“Owner” means any one or more of the natural persons owning a business; in the case of
a business owned by a partnership “owner” means the partnership and all general and
limited partners; in the case of a business owned by a limited liability company “owner”
means the company and all managers and members thereof; in the case of a business
owned by a corporation “owner” means the corporation and all officers, and directors,

ORDINANCE O-21-083

thereof; and in the case of a business owned by a corporation having fewer than ten (10)
shareholders “owner” means all shareholders.

This ordinance shall be effective immediately and shall continue in effect until the end of the day
of January 31, 2022. The Board of Health and the Board of Aldermen reserve the right to revisit
this end date if the public’s health remains threatened due to increased transmission.

The City Clerk is directed not to codify this ordinance in the Nashua Revised Ordinances but to
designate it as Covid-19 Emergency Measure No. (City Clerk to assign appropriate
number upon passage) and publish it and any subsequent emergency measures on the city
website.

LEGISLATIVE YEAR 2021

ORDINANCE: O-21-083
PURPOSE: Relative to requiring face coverings through January 31, 2022
ENDORSERS: Alderman Thomas Lopez

Alderman Patricia Klee

COMMITTEE
ASSIGNMENT:

FISCAL NOTE: None.

ANALYSIS

This legislation approves the regulation adopted by the Board of Health requiring the wearing of
face coverings by persons at various places, effective through January 31, 2022.

Approved as to form: Office of Corporation Counsel

By: /s/_ Steven A. Bolton

Date: December 17, 2021

A Special Meeting of the Board of Aldermen was held Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. in the Aldermanic
Chamber and via Zoom teleconference which meeting link can be found on the agenda and on the City’s website
calendar.

President Lori Wilshire presided; City Clerk Susan Lovering recorded.
Prayer was offered by City Clerk Susan Lovering; Alderman Jan Schmidt led in the Pledge to the Flag.
Let’s start the meeting by taking a roll call attendance. If you are participating via Zoom, please state your presence,

reason for not attending the meeting in person, and whether there is anyone in the room with you during this meeting,
which is required under the Right-To-Know Law.

The roll call was taken with 11 members of the Board of Aldermen present and 1 participating via Zoom: Alderman
Michael B. O’Brien, Sr., Alderman Patricia Klee, Alderwoman Shoshanna Kelly (arrived at 7:14 p.m. via Zoom),
Alderman Richard A. Dowd, Alderman June M. Caron, Alderman Benjamin Clemons, Alderman Thomas Lopez
(arrived at 7:04 p.m.), Alderman David C. Tencza, Alderwoman Elizabeth Lu, Alderman Ernest Jette, Alderman Jan
Schmidt, Alderman Brandon Laws (via Zoom), Alderman Linda Harriott-Gathright, Alderman Wilshire.

Alderman Skip Cleaver was recorded absent.

President Wilshire

Alderman Cleaver did let me know that he was unable to join us this evening.

PRESENTATION

President Wilshire

Tonight we have a presentation. The Beautification Committee is going to give us an update on their
accomplishments and what they would like to work on in the future. So I'm going to recognize Carolyn Choate.

e Beautification Committee on their accomplishments and what they would like to work on in the future
Carolyn Choate
Thank you so much

President Wilshire

Good evening.

Carolyn Choate

Thank you. I'm going to start out a little bit differently tonight with my first slide that | want to thank my husband for
helping me with the PowerPoint this evening. If you'll see this slide, perhaps on the top here we all have one of those
relatives that we care so much about however you avoid visiting like the plague because well you don't really feel
comfortable going to their house, and you're thinking oh couldn't they just clean the place up a little bit, buy some new
furniture, maybe paint the walls, so that you would feel welcome and such - feel a little bit more comfortable. Because
golly, look what someone could do. Look at the bottom picture. That's kind of like what beautification could be like on a
grand scale for my relative that | love so much which is my dear city and are all our relative the City of Nashua.

So thank you for having me tonight. | am Carolyn Choate and | want to thank all of you here tonight - the current Board
of Aldermen for your support over the years that I've been the Chair. For those who are departing, | want to encourage
you to please nonetheless give us your support when you leave because after all even though your duties here may
decline, we still need you in Nashua. For those who are going to be new to the Board, | welcome this opportunity to
introduce you to what we do. Foremost I'd like to thank Mayor Donchess for giving me the opportunity to do what | love
most and that is become a beautification activist. | came to him in 2016 with a dream that he has let me see to fruition
and that was to impact the beautification, aesthetic nature of our city, both city properties, residential properties,
commercial properties in cooperation with city departments and not least of which was a mentor of all sorts and to many
of us Brian McCarthy God rest his soul and Steve Bolton who helped us to have a trust fund within the city giving us as

Special Board of Aldermen 12-14-2021 Page 2

the Beautification Committee the right, the authority to raise funds so that we could return those funds to city coffer to
beautify Nashua in ways that we could work in cohort with, for example, parks and recreation. It's still our dream after
our major fundraiser last summer to beautify a garden in Brian's memory here on this very property of City Hall.

So | also want to thank, most notably, also Nashua Code Enforcement because they have trained all our members in the
technique known as “knock and talk” and that is a wonderful mitigation, cooperative spirit wherein one never knows why
a property might look the way it does. You know you might complain about the neighbor next door who has grass very
high but you don't know maybe his wife had cancer, maybe he works 40 plus hours a week and is a single parent. One
never knows about what are the circumstances behind someone's, you Know, property situation. Many times they have
said to us, you Know, why bother? In confidence they said to us, why bother city enforcement when you as a neighbor
could go to someone and say, can | help? And they're absolutely right. In case you don't know, Code Enforcement is
looking after something like 20,000 properties. So if you want to put well deserved investment in something that has
long lasting effect for all economic development, for all echelons of society by having an aesthetically pleasing
environment for all its citizens investing in a couple more people in Code Enforcement would be well spent.

So let's move on to the PowerPoint. If | could have the next slide, please. This is our creed. This is what the Nashua
Beautification Committee’s mission statement is. It is the mission of the Nashua Beautification Advisory Committee - key
note “advisory” - to identify and develop opportunities that can enhance the visual attractiveness of the City of Nashua.
Towards this mission, the committee is committed to working in conjunction with city resources, residents, and
organization to maximize its efforts. Simple as that.

Next slide, please. Now, this happens to be in my neighborhood. These are things that | like to hope that we could
achieve. Maybe some of our laws could be enhanced - more enforcement. I'm not sure but maybe some of the laws
could be strengthened because many people say, Oh, come on we live in the Live Free or Die State. Why do | have to
care about what my property looks like? God, this is why | moved to New Hampshire. Well, you know, when you live in a
compact neighborhood imagine what the guy next door thinks. This is the person next door. He's a neatnick. Why
should he have to abide by the guy next door who really did have four to five feet weeds in his property? We did have
Code Enforcement come. He was a very belligerent individual and he said ultimately, | don't have a lawn mower. So it is
very tough on Code Enforcement and it's tough on compact neighborhoods. Maybe we can revisit some of the laws and
figure out how can we deal with it because so many people work so hard, modest incomes, but by golly, they can work
day and night and have a beautiful yard and feel so proud of their accomplishments.

Next slide. Now this property is also in dire straits. The grass got much taller but in this case, this is an absentee
landlord. They are buying houses all over the city and | ask you what are the laws in place? I'm not privy to them
perhaps but maybe you are. Can we have some maybe a deeper understanding of such matters for absentee
landlords? Next slide. This is the side of the property in a compact neighborhood - waste metal, garbage. | didn't want
to belabor it but this is just one side of the home. There are four single men living here who work in the trades and this is
what they are leaving on the property. | think it's a darn shame for the beautiful homes and people that live next door
and what they need to look at every day.

Next slide. Now, this is when we broach a new area because | know that you are particularly involved with what
happens in Nashua proper. This is a State issue. So | come to you and say, let's all work together. This is 36 square
miles that we all love whether the State has the authority, whether you have the authority, | just say let's come together
because when you drive into Nashua coming north on Everett Turnpike, this was promised to be a beautiful cascading.
We all know back when the widening was done promised to be a lovely cascading greenery. Bill Boynton told me point
blank before he left the Highway Department, yeah, that was an abject failure. How long are we going to put up with
this? This is in the fall. In the summer, it’s just atrocious. Several blocks worth. | know New Hampshire's getting some
amount of money from the infrastructure bill. Can't we all work together to get this looking right for the people that come
into our State? We are the Gate City. | beg you.

Next slide. Now this is another matter because I've worked with Code Enforcement and they say there are no laws on
the books about dealing with unsightly commercial properties unless they are of injurious nature to the general public
they have no say. This property, which was the, you know, - Amazon is using it now - the old Building 19. We all know
of it on Amherst Street. In the summertime, it is atrocious to look at. Again, another vantage point into our city. Why
must we look at industrial commercial sites that are blighted? People own those. Those are taxpayers in large measure.
There's nothing on the books to have them looking at least somehow respectable. So these are things I'm hoping that
we can work together in the future.

Next slide. This is, again, this is motor vehicles. That's not a lovely Stella Do Oro Lily on the left. That's crabgrass.
That's crabgrass that's as big as a whiskey barrel or our wine cask and those are hundreds of cigarette butts. A lot of
people come from other towns to use that facility for the Department of Transportation. They don't know maybe that

Special Board of Aldermen 12-14-2021 Page 3

Nashua doesn't own that. But what are we doing saying to the people who do oversee that site? Look, you're in our city
clean it up.

Next slide. Here's another bone of contention. Many cities - Bedford just did a beautiful remake of their highway like
around Bedford Village Inn - that strip there. Took out the old median strips, like this ugly thing that has weeds all the
time all summer. This is a fall seen and put beautiful native grasses in, something that's nice to look at instead of slabs
of cement. Look at the next slide. This is what's possible. | look at that and I'm like, wow, people really care about this
town. | want to see what else is here. Wow look at the entryway in from their highways. This is what | am hoping for for
us, for more examples of an economic development that is inviting in ways that beckoned us in. Bill Parker who did the
roundabout in front of Nashua High North and the one on Manchester Street. He's ready to go. He wants to do more
things with our city come next year and | say let's invite him.

Next slide. This is Broad Street Parkway going in and going out. | think this is our responsibility. | think this is Nashua’s
responsibility if I'm correct and this is what we're looking at. Beautiful. Our latest roadway in beautiful bridge, beautiful
water to look at, our beautiful historic mill yard, all the lovely... What's intriguing to me is that we in the Planning
Department expect so much from the builders, and the permits that we give, and then we turn around and we are not
upholding the bargain ourselves. It's a shame.

Next slide. This is that island right in front of the Pink Palace right on Court Street. Many of those are invasive species.
It's been looking like this - | worked very hard on this island week in and week out when | work with Public Works. This is
the way it looks recently. People I'm sure all of us drive by it every day and if not, my invitation to you is look around
when you drive around our city. You are our eyes and ears for this community. We look to you to guide us, be a part of
what | have been doing. Sorry Donna that | didn't have this ready for you because | was supposed to get all this
paperwork in. But | was diagnosed with cancer, again, last week and | couldn't get everything together. But this is a list
from 2019 of 20 properties that | personally had spearheaded for change commercial, city, and residential. If | if one
person can do all this, surely we can as a group accomplished much.

Next slide. Now, as an example you know where this mural is right here. Now, it took me about one hour. There's the
before and there's the after. Voila. Next slide. I'm hoping that the changes that we're seeing with the downtown
transportation department, these are islands of greenery. These are islands of weedery behind Fortin Gage, behind the
garage. People come to our city and look for parking and they're going to park in these locks back there and these are
the things they see. Obviously, you know, it's not something that maybe some of us see every day but somebody is
going to see them and they're most likely going to be visitors. This is not what we want them to see. These are
opportunities for beauty. This the City of Newton, which I'll leave with you, they have developed opportunities in the
town. It's called Newton pride and what an incredible beautification aspect they have in Newton. Just look up
beautification on Google and you'll see thousands of towns with very active beautification projects. In fact in Newton,
they have only four places in all of Massachusetts have all American selection display gardens that work in cohort with
their garden clubs. Our garden clubs would jump at the opportunity but we all know why. This is not available at times
or the opportunity. | want us to work in cohort with our unions.

Next slide. Now here we have beautiful sculptures from our sculpture symposium. This is the kind of respect we're
showing to our sculptures. Those are all weeds at the base of them and | do hope that we can have a new and
improved space at the library. But this is what we're looking like typically in the meantime and | hope we can straighten it
out. | really do because that is our cultural hub our library. It was one of the most progressive libraries probably in all of
New England and it's still a great point of pride. | want the outside to be as wonderful as it is inside. Next slide. This
next to the fence was actually someone who had trimmed all of the trees that needed trimming and just took all the
refuge and just thrown it against the fence. Unacceptable.

Next slide. So thank you for your time. There's so much that we can do together and my hero in life is Lady Bird
Johnson. | hope we all remember her and she said, there is much the government can do and should do to improve the
environment but even more important is the individual who plants a tree, or cleans a corner of neglect for it is the
individual who himself benefits and also protects a heritage of beauty for his children and future generations. | thank you
so much for your time and | look forward to working with each and every one of you. If anyone has any questions, |
would be more than happy to answer them.

President Wilshire

Thank you, Carolyn. That was pretty interesting. Does anyone have any questions?

Special Board of Aldermen 12-14-2021 Page 4
Alderman Klee

Thank you, Madam President and thank you very much. It is eye opening. | do have like four constituents that people
have complained about as well as they have contacted me. | Know in one particular case, much like you said, there's a
health issue in the family. The spouse cannot take care of it and there's a prideful thing. So sometimes when you kind
of approach people, | would be very interested in the knock and talk kind of things that you were taught because | think
that might help some of the community too to help their neighbors without embarrassing them.

One other constituent purposely grew the weeds, greenery, whatever you want to call it way out of control for butterflies,
and critters, and things like that. She felt that that was her way of taking care of that. So we have to be cognizant that
people have, well, you may have a very beautifully landscaped property, your neighbor may have a more organic kind of
feel. So | think we just need to be careful.

Carolyn Choate

Balance.
Alderman Klee
Yes we need to balance and we need to be careful when we're speaking to our neighbors in that respect.

| also want to commend you for the weeding that you did. Over the spring and early summer, | worked with a number of
different groups and we cleaned up trash, and we did a lot of weeding, and we even helped people with their yards as
such. We worked with businesses and we worked with other people. The Tolles Street Mission actually did planting and
things like that and all around. Are you finding that you have groups that are coming forward that would be willing to do
things like that?

Carolyn Choate

Yes, we are but we're also finding frustration in as much as many groups will come together to do a specific cleaning
effort but then feels that one of the things missing in the dynamic is we would prefer a policy of long term maintenance.
Not this reactive once in a while until another situation occurs where it's so bad everyone feels so compelled to clean up.
We are hoping for a long term maintenance plan from the city on many of the projects that groups work on. That is the
best case scenario.

Alderman Klee

Thank you so much. | appreciate the clarification on it and | do understand. When you work really hard to help clean
something up and then you see later on a month later it's back to where it was, you feel like you've kind of wasted your
time. So | appreciate it and | understand what you're saying. Are you looking for changing in zoning? Are you looking for
more gardens such as what we see on Manchester Street, or Henry Bourque, or something of that nature where
independent garden groups do those things? This was a beautiful presentation. I’m just not quite sure what it is specific.

Carolyn Choate

The one example of - it would be nice to see maybe laws in place for the commercial aspect, seeing that, you know,
there are no laws in place for commercial aesthetic properties. Maybe it's time we did have something in place for them.
There's no law. There's a law against no snow being snow blown in the inner road. There's a law against no leaves
being raked or blown into a road. There's no law against grass being mowed into a road. | had people call me and say
my neighbor is dumping like huge clods of grass every week. He moves his yard and the grass is in front of his house
every week. That's dangerous for motorcycles for one thing, but again, it's aesthetically displeasing. He will never pick it
up. The neighbor has complained to him to no avail. So | called Code Enforcement. There's no law for that. So maybe
some things need to be tweaked.

Alderman Klee
Thank you.

Alderman Tencza

Just for the record as you said that Ma'am, we actually do have an ordinance on yard debris. So maybe that's something

Special Board of Aldermen 12-14-2021 Page 5

we can counsel on placing yard debris, and snow, and everything into the street that we passed within the last four
years. So maybe that's something just education that we could work on with Lisa. Low hanging fruit to get that moving.

President Wilshire

Anyone else?

Alderwoman Lu

Thank you. I'm sorry, Carolyn | didn't catch your last name.
Carolyn Choate

Choate.

Alderwoman Lu

Thank you. Are you an employee of the city?

Carolyn Choate

No. | was the one summer.

Alderwoman Lu

Is this a volunteer...?

Carolyn Choate

Oh absolutely.

Alderwoman Lu

And where does the Beautification Committee receive its funding?
Carolyn Choate

We don't have any funding.

Alderwoman Lu

Okay so it's all comes out of your pocket? Anything that...

Carolyn Choate

We don't spend any money. We just clean up things. | take that back in one regard. We pick a project each season and
two seasons ago we picked the girls home at that time. The girls home on Concord Street. When we do raise money, it
all goes into the city coffer and is not to be used on any private property matter only city property. So that was a private
property issue obviously. So we went to the neighbors. | did a fundraiser and neighbors were so generous. We raised
$2,100 and we had three large trees removed. | got a discount for replacement plantings from Country Brook Farm in
Hudson. I'm a Rotarian and my Rotarian friends own a landscape company. He gave his things for free. We got
plantings and there's still some money, | believe, left in that kitty for maybe some lawn work, etc. We don't need money.
We just do projects out of the goodness of our heart and we work with commercial property owners.

When complaints come to us and | typically go to the business owners myself and say hey someone called about a
property that you have. Didn't know if you were aware that you have three dead trees on the property that would really
look great if you replace them? Oh, | had no idea. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Alderwoman Lu

Thank you. So it sounds like you do some fundraising.

Special Board of Aldermen 12-14-2021 Page 6

Carolyn Choate

Well my husband built an all-purpose potting shed table and we raised $1,000 at the farmers market.

Carolyn Choate

Wow that’s great. | wasn't aware there was a Beautification Committee. How do you get the word out? | don't see it on
the city website or?

Carolyn Choate

Well it started out pretty large and | was enjoying an early retirement at the time before | started working full time and
overtime at Southern New Hampshire University. So since that time, it's been ad hoc as we get together once in a while
and then | work with an esteemed designer, Lorraine Proust, who is a retired certified designer and we work on projects
she and | at need.

Alderwoman Lu

Thank you.

President Wilshire

I'd like to say when we were talking about the property on Concord Street that they have done a wonderful job and it's a
labor of love. It really is. They do it out of the kindness of their hearts because they want to do it not because they have
to do it.

Carolyn Choate

Okay. My husband's bringing up to me to make clear that I'm not here to ask for money or funding, if that's true. I'm not
here for funding. I'm hear saying | just wanted to let you aware of who we are, what we do, and that you might avail
some funding perhaps for maybe some more code enforcement people. It would help in the long run and just your
support knowing that aesthetics are important to the economic vitality of our city and we need to raise the bar.

President Wilshire

Thank you very much. Appreciate everything you do.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION BY ALDERMAN O’BRIEN THAT THE DECEMBER 14, 2021, SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF
ALDERMEN BE ADJOURNED, BY ROLL CALL

A viva voce roll call was taken to adjourn the Special Board of Aldermen meeting which resulted as follows:
Yea: Alderman O’Brien, Alderman Klee, Alderwoman Kelly, Alderman Dowd,

Alderman Caron, Alderman Clemons, Alderman Lopez, Alderman Tencza,

Alderwoman Lu, Alderman Jette, Alderman Schmidt, Alderman Laws,

Alderman Harriott-Gathright, Alderman Wilshire 14
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED

The meeting was declared adjourned at 7:32 p.m.

Attest: Susan Lovering, City Clerk