Board of Aldermen 2-25-2020 Page 12
President_Wilshire
Further discussion?
Alderman Laws
I’d just like to go on record as saying | will co-sponsor Alderman Jette’s Legislation waiving the fees for all
non-profits that are doing wonderful things in the City. Thank you for that idea.
Alderman Lopez
| just would want to observe that the Ordinance right now is specific to this situation. In the presentation, they
did make it clear that they had fund raised and they’d done a lot to try and do that and they just didn’t
foresee having the bandwidth, they were struggling to cross the finish line and they were asking the City for
a specific situation, which is what | think we granted them. We took the specific situation into account, we
crafted legislation specific to it and that’s one way of approaching this issue, where if a non-profit can make
its case, then we could look at it, we could evaluate it on its merits and the specific project they are doing.
Another way is to create an Ordinance that does kind of allow non-profits to apply on a more consistent
basis for this kind of thing.
| am not necessarily opposed to that either, but | don’t think that’s what this Ordinance specifically does. |
think, as was noted, this is a very useful service to the City that Building on Hope is providing, through a
non-profit that does things that the City benefits from. It enhances the City’s offerings for after school
programs for at-risk students. It creates athletic programs that we can be very proud of. Mike Fontaine is
for example, continually competes for Golden Gloves. And having a program, a boxing program in the inner
City where kids can work to earn that level of prestige and visibility and build that kind of positive self-
esteem, | think is invaluable. PAL is very involved in many other programs as well such as Cross Country,
Football and | wouldn’t want to see them divert resources which are targeting particularly needy children and
offering them that opportunity to get into athletics. So | think for this situation we are doing the right thing
and it is our job as Aldermen to look at each situation specifically. | do think there is an opportunity to
consider a more broad reaching policy. But | think this is very specific for tonight. What can we do for PAL
and how can we help them cross the finish line?
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you Madam President. As making the motion for final passage | obviously feel very comfortable in
making that motion. The reason is | would hate to come up with anything that blankets all cases, like an
Ordinance or something like that. We are a sitting Government Body and to echo what we just heard just a
few minutes ago from our Corporate Counsel, | think this Board can look at the different organization that
would perhaps maybe come before us. | don’t think Rivier College, | understand that they are a non-profit.
Alderman Lopez
University.
Alderman O’Brien
It’s a university. So | think we are talking a little apples and oranges to some degree there, no pun intended,
degree, get it, college? But anyways | think the authority of this Board to look at the each individual based
upon the merits of that organization that comes up. If we look at what we are talking about, we are talking
about PAL and it is sponsored particularly by the Nashua Police Department, which is an organization that is
under our umbrella with the City. The PAL is not a City Organization per se, granted. But they do use the
name sponsored with our friends in the Nashua Police Department that does the world good.
