Board of Aldermen 02-22-2022 Page 32
Paula Johnson
Oh, there was just one of the thing | had to say. Just give me this one second.
President Wilshire
| have other people waiting to speak. Your time is up.
Paula Johnson
Okay. Alderman Klee - $250 more for the veteran’s tax that was voted on.
Karen Bill
Karen Bill, 95 Parnell Place, Nashua. Alderman Sullivan thank you for objecting to accepting whatever the committee
minutes were earlier. I'm speaking against the continuation of the downtown barrier project. The citizens of Nashua have
been voicing their concerns about this for months. Perhaps today is the day that you actually hear us. It's not only about the
businesses downtown. Residents have the right to walk on the sidewalk and have enough room between outside dining
tables and the street. Last week | sent an email to Tim Cummings asking for meeting notes of the Downtown Improvement
Committee. The first three e-mails were ignored. In e-mail number four, | stated my request in a Right to Know law.
Imagine having to do this in this city to a city official to get an answer to an e-mail — a Right to Know law. His five word reply
to me asking about information about the minutes, who was on the committee, the meetings. “I have no such record.” Are
you kidding me? Such disregard, such disrespect. Do you think if President Wilshire had asked this, she would have
received the same curt, dismissive message? Is there not a code of conduct that states that you must reply to a resident
within a certain amount of time in a professional and polite manner? If not, obviously there should be.
Having run a nonprofit in this city myself, many organizations have that as part of their operating procedures. Maybe it's time
for the city to follow suit. Mr. Cummings has a dismissive tone. These e-mails were not responded to. It's unfathomable to
think that you could just be dismissed without saying “Right to Know”. Not even Dear Miss Bill, nothing.
Discussions about the barriers on Main Street have resulted in the Nashua Fire Rescue voicing concerns about response
times. Nashua Police unable to pull people over on Main Street due to lack of room to do so. They have to wait until the car
pulls on to a side street or travels further up Main Street.
Donna Graham, Legislative Affairs Manager
30 seconds.
Karen Bill
This is directly from a Police Commission meeting. Imagine the heightened anxiety on both parties. The cost - so what are
we supposed to do, right? | think it's time these barriers go. The cost to install and remove are somewhere around $60,000
per year. Lost revenue parking about as much. So what do we do with the barriers since we're not going to use them all?
Sell them? We bought them. We don't need them anymore. Let's make some money back. Let's sell them.
Donna Graham, Legislative Affairs Manager
Time is up.
Karen Bill
Why not everything else is going up.
President Wilshire
Your time is up Ms. Bill.
Karen Bill
So | ask when do | get the information.
