Board of Aldermen Page 13
August 9, 2016
there have been some internal group meetings to again discuss this park’s relocation which led to R-16-
048 being introduced which is also attached. Those meetings would not have required minutes.”
Those meetings basically were that | had spoken with Brian Fisk and Director Fauteux and Andy
Patrician to go over and look at other sites. There was no quorum of the committee which was set up by
then Mayor Lozeau. It is my understanding that when the legislation didn’t have any action taken by the
Infrastructure Committee that Mrs. Johnson was called personally by the Director of Public Works and
told that. She’s been called about all of the meetings and she’s been kept abreast of that. That is
transparency.
“Located within these documents you will find the locations of that were discussed and the prevailing
issues with.”
| did meet with Alderman LeBrun in February and it was a very short meeting. We did discuss the site
location and we did look at the location over near the salt barn but that would have required moving an
inordinate amount of trash. The trash line that came off of Stadium Drive worked its way further into the
site. We did dig some test pits and we found ledge and water and it wasn’t conducive. We didn’t do any
geotechnical work on the site because of what we found right off the bat. It would have also meant
moving the blower house that’s there for the ventilation system for the methane. We looked at the cul-
de-sac area and we talked with Eversource about encroachment and things of that nature. Due diligence
was done and there was plenty of transparency. There was nothing done that was underhanded and |
really take offense to be accused of that. This Board voted to give the BIDA authority over the property
on Bridge Street. That vote took place and this Board also knew that when that happened that the
skateboard park had to be moved. We looked at a lot of sites and they are in the documents that were
sent to Mrs. Johnson. If you would like | can sit here and read them off and tell you all of the issues.
Myself and at the time then Economic Development Director Tom Galligani spent an inordinate of time
going through every city owned parcel. Mind you we had a half of million to work with and we were trying
to use that money on top of the ground and not below the ground. Every place we found had ledge,
asbestos, wetlands and contaminations. Other areas that were city owned property had to do with site
plans for detention areas and things of that nature so it couldn’t be disturbed. We looked at everything
that was available and in the end this is the site that we came up with. Alderman Caron sent me an e-
mail about crime and the issues in that end of town and how it’s grown and the traffic problems. That
high school has been there 1972 | believe. In fact, the traffic is probably better than it was in 1972
because it was a single school back then. | don’t think there is much of a traffic increase. The crime in
that area; people jogging and running and things of that nature; | mean | haven’t heard of any inordinate
increases in crime in that area. Parking, there is going to be additional parking added but we still have to
submit a site plan to the Planning Board and they have to approve it. The meetings pertaining to this
legislation and the prior legislation were all posted according to the right-to-know law. They were on-line
and posted in two areas in City Hall, we have publicly discussed them and they have been on numerous
committee agendas and full Board agendas. There have been articles in the Telegraph and in the Union
Leader. It’s not as though this just snuck up and we had a first and second reading and it was done. |
stand with moving forward and supporting the legislation and supporting the location. As the Mayor said
we are going to get a final opinion from our legal department. | kind of struggle with that because |
remember that 20% match and the state money from Stellos. | don’t know how the cul-de-sac made it
into that area because we did have to provide money to build a stadium which was not from the state. |
don’t know where you draw the line there but it is a school facility and the DPW funds and maintains that
facility. It was done in collaboration when we originally did it and the reason was for that match from
Concord. | think that covers what | have to say for now.
Alderman Wilshire
| was around when the original David W. Deane Skateboard Park was voted on and put in and for a good
reason it was called the David W. Deane Skateboard Park, he did his due diligence, he raised the money
and he got people involved. He has done the same thing this time in terms of doing his due diligence. |
