Board of Aldermen 2-06-2020 Page 11
Chairman Dowd
Any other questions? Ok! am going to open it up to public comment. Again this public hearing is on
amendment to R-18-002, “eliminating the timing requirement for the public funds”. So please limit all your
comments to that one subject and limit your comments to approximately 3 minutes. I'll now take testimony
in favor? If you want to speak in favor, please come up to the microphone, state your name and address
for the record.
PUBLIC HEARING
R-20-001 - SECOND AMENDMENT TO R-18-001 “AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY TREASURER
TO ISSUE BONDS NOT TO EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF FIFTEEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS ($15,500,000) FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LOCATED
AT 201 MAIN STREET”
TESTIMONY IN FAVOR
Latha Mangipudi | reside at 20 Salmon Brook Drive and | have resided in Nashua for over 30 years. | am in
support of this extension. Having served on several non-profit advisory boards such as Mission and over
where we had to raise $5 million dollars over 3 years and then currently serving on the NH Charitable
Foundation Regional Board. I’m not raising funds there, but you know, having understood what the process is,
it is very important to keep the initial phase of capital campaign on the stealth mode. Because there is a lot of
hesitation on major donors to make their name and contribution public too early. Having said that, | keep
buying Mass Million, Mega Millions, one of these days I'll hit the 3 figure and | will make a check donation. But
this is a typical, | have gone to several of the trainings for fundraising on several of the boards.
This is one of the major things that they talk to you about, initial phases. You have to keep it especially going
for the big donors. It’s you know on a pyramid you come from the top down, the large donors, half a million,
quarter of a million, hundred thousand, then on the base of the pyramid is the large base. So the human
behavior is when you ask for a donation, they ask what’s the minimum. And human nature is to go for the
lowest denomination. So in order to work on that, and this is a pride for our community, this is such a big pride,
and we’ve talked about it just like the rail project, we have talked about it for several decades or you know this
in particular, this is a reality. So let’s not botch it and let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot. This is the due
diligence that | am so excited to be part, I’m not part of the team, full disclosure, I’m not fundraising, but to talk
about this, to talk outside of my community here in Nashua, to say we are getting a Performing Arts Center.
Would you like to come and participate? Would you like to give a donation? And you’re right, people are
looking at it. So | would really encourage the elected officials who represent my voice, to vote in favor of this
extension and keep this project moving and hope it becomes a reality. Thank you.
Mary Lou Blaisdell | live at 32 Webster Street in Nashua. | have spoken to you several times in favor of this
project. And | am a downtown business owner and | also serve on the Steering Committee and on the Capital
Campaign Committee. | think Deb, Rich, Phil and all of us have more meals with each other than we do with
our families now because we are meeting so often. We are working very hard to move this program forward.
We have a vast amount of positive energy going into this program, through the Steering Committee and
through the people we are sitting down and talking to and asking for donations. We will meet our goal, it’s very
strong, it’s moving in a very positive manner and it is very exciting. This project isn’t just a project for
downtown, it’s a project for the City of Nashua. We have presented to you on numerous times how an art
center helps an economy within a City. Everything that you read, every art program that you read about that
comes into a City, proves positive economic results for a City. And it will do that for ours. Not only am |
volunteering my time for this program, this Performing Arts Center, I’ve made a pledge, my husband and | have
made a substantial pledge personally and we have through our business to. So both professionally and
personally, we support this 100%.
