Board of Aldermen 2-12-2020 Page 4
For practical reasons, however, very few events are held in the colder seasons. The Performing Arts
Center would be a venue to attract local and not-so-local patrons in all seasons benefiting Nashua
Restaurants and Shops.
While Nashua is a town with many advantages, one think we lack is a regionally recognized Performing
Arts Center which could attract both local performers and bigger names. My family personally travels to
Boston, Lowell, Worcester, Hampton Beach, Concord, NH, Littleton, Massachusetts and even Porchester,
New York to attend music performances and cultural events. Even many smaller towns in our area and our
State have public or private cultural centers like just mentioned Tupelos in Derry, Bull Run in Shirley,
Massachusetts and the Monadnock Center in Peterboro. These venues draw audiences from local and
distant areas and shows are routinely sold out. | was recently at a concert at Tupelos and spoke to a
woman who drove up from Beverly, Massachusetts which was over an hour away from Derry and that’s
when it is not rush hour.
Nashua is strategically placed so a Performing Arts Center here will surely be successful. | for one would
appreciate not having to drive to the Capital Center for the Arts or into Boston. A Nashua Performing Arts
Center will be a source of pride as well as a source of revenue for our community. It is my understanding
that the architectural plans have already been drawn up and a significant portion of the required private
fund for this project have been raised, including a recent $250,000.00 pledge from Bank of America.
Please not let the Performing Arts Center so far along in its planning and supported by so many people,
crash and fall. Please vote to approve the 18 month extension of the deadline for private fundraising.
The next phase of the fundraising from small business owners and the public has not even yet begun.
Thank you for your opportunity to speak.
Michael O’Connor Yeah Good Evening, Michael O’Connor, 42 Berkeley Street, in Ward 3. | unfortunately
could not attend the Hearing the other day but | am here also speaking as this lady against the approval of
the amendment. My reason, it is mixed feelings, | also enjoy Arts, I’ve been to many of the places that the
lady just mentioned. | just think the issues to me are basically affordability, the fact that you know as the
Mayor said, and I’m taking an excerpt from the minutes back in February 13, 2018, “the voters voted on the
version that is before you. There are many ways that we can raise funds towards the project. | think we
should just vote on the version of the Resolution that we put to the voters and which they approved”.
| don’t Know these individuals, but when | was reading through the minutes, it was a very lengthy
presentation by Tyler Gouveia, | may not be presenting the name correct, a 19 year old college student
who went through his projections on the financing. Some pretty strong arguments were in there. Dick
lannacone, who said it was contingent on raising the $4 million. In those same minutes, Alderman Klee, my
Alderman from Ward, she talked about driving many people crazy including today. | visited a few people,
asking questions, I’ve gone all the way up to Manchester and spoke with Mr. Ramsey to get questions
answered about fundraising and how it affects the community.
Alderman Caron said one of the reasons that she was going to support it was the stipulation in there that
the $4 million had to come from the private sector before we put nail to hammer, to wood. So there seems
to be, | think, an understanding for most of the — | shouldn’t say “most” | will anecdotally | talked to a lot of
you know tax payers here and there seems to be concern that you are really going against what was voted
on several years ago.
On the website | will draw your attention to something | realize this in the Capital Campaign Feasibility
Study, that was presented by Betsy McNamara back in September 2018 and where they were looking at,
and of course these are just excerpts, but reasons for the opposition to the project which she boiled down
into terms of concerns about the project. Two themes rose immediately to the top during the interview
process. There is a deep distrust of the City’s ability to manage this project and this has to be done right or
it will fail.
