Finance Committee - 06/17/2020 Page 13
Alderwoman Lu
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | also enjoyed working with Mr. Kooken and | wish you a great retirement. | hope
you have a wonderful first year and enjoy your new home. | wonder if we could just go back, | had a question
about something, part of the meeting that | missed. Simply did we buy the barriers or are we leasing them?
Mayor Donchess
Leasing.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright
Leasing.
Alderwoman Lu
This is the cost to lease. Ok.
Mayor Donchess
Correct. We believe that we can get reimbursement out of the so-called GOFERR.
Alderwoman Lu
Right. Thank you.
Mayor Donchess
Other discussion? While we are on this subject, we were very early in doing this and | think as a City we did
very well with this. The reviews on this and the feedback is very positive. And | know that there was a call with
the Governor today and Portsmouth was asking about the possibility of whether GOFERR funds would cover
them if they were to use barriers to expand outdoor seating areas, which means they haven’t even done it yet.
And there were complaints last night that Portsmouth has been so slow. So not that | have anything against
Portsmouth, but | just want to say that Nashua as a community, Public Works, Board of Aldermen, Economic
Development did a very good and efficient job on getting this approved and in place. Alderwoman Klee?
Alderman Klee
Mr. Mayor, before | call for the adjournment, | had raised my hand, | don’t think you can see me. But! also
wanted to wish Mr. Kooken a happy retirement and to tell him don’t do what many of us did when we retired,
stay home, stay quiet.
Mayor Donchess
In other words, don’t run for public office.
Alderman Klee
Exactly. But! also wanted to comment about the downtown. | have received so many positive phone calls and
| can honesty say | have not received one negative call. And as a person who goes back and forth on Main
Street, | can tell you that other than the construction that they’ve been doing up by Library Hill and so on, it is
very smooth. If | see a little bit of traffic, | just take Water Street and go in through the back. And | am also
seeing an increase on the Broad Street Parkway and | think that’s wonderful, that people are starting to use
that a little bit more and avoiding the Main Street.
