Board of Aldermen — 9/12/17 Page 13
of upgrades, that’s all you really need if you want to do some minor, minor stuff on Court Street it’s immediately
disregarded.
Before you proceed, there’s no rush. If you okay this bond which is 10 votes, nothing happens because the
bond says you can’t do a thing until you have the $4 million in endowment fund. Well just hold it. Hold it.
Take a look what Cookson came up with the Daniel Webster College thing. Get the money first. Why can’t
you get the $4 million before you approve the bond? Why do you have to have a steering committee to look at
all kinds of construction if you have no construction done yet? Bonds should come last. It’s like a Purchase &
Sales Agreement, first you do the purchase. You close the deal. The financing was when the bonding comes
very last just like Pennichuck. The Purchase & Sales Agreement was signed and months later the bonding
was a $150 million was arranged for it. I’m not against a performing arts center. This if you look at the details
passed a motion of having something on Main downtown. If you really want to do something for downtown
lead with this. Close off Main Street, make Main Street pedestrian from East Hollis Street to Water Street.
You can drive down the Broad Street Parkway. You can drive down Spring Street — make it pedestrian only
from Water Street to East Hollis Street. Then you'll really have something. Thank you.
Paula Johnson, 15 Westborn Drive
I’ve lived in this city for 33 years. Also was an alderman at one time. I’m very proud of the way | voted to make
sure costs was under control. I’m here tonight, again, to talk about the performing arts center. I’ve sent some
blogs on Facebook when people talk about that we need a performing arts center. | don’t remember Mrs.
Hatch if you were on the Board when you voted for the Stabile’s building. Were you one of the aldermen that
voted for it? | think so. It was a long time ago.
President McCarthy
Mrs. Johnson would you address the Board and not the audience please.
Paula Johnson
That’s okay Alderman McCarthy. | just wanted to set the record straight. | wanted to make sure that I’m right
about things. Back then Mr. Stabile had the arts and science building down on Court Street. Mr. Stabile said
he was not going to let it be put back on the tax rolls. He said if the city did not buy it, then he was going to
donate it. How do | know, Mr. Stabile was in my house with several members of the Nashua Taxpayers
Association back then. | believe that building we purchased it for about $300 to $400,000 back then with a
leaky roof and a bad heating system. See we have a habit of buying things in this city without doing our due
diligence on checking buildings out. The other one is on Riverside that we bought for Public Works. |
remember being on the Board. That was over $2 million. While if some of us are a little bit skeptical here, |
guess we have a reason why who sat on this Board and watched legislation go through and questioned.
Although people in the audience might not like what Fred says or what I’m saying, it’s because when you sit on
this side of the horseshoe and you see the numbers that come through, you have to do your due diligence
because you’re representing the people. Whether you like the project or not, it is your duty to check the
numbers and make sure that everything agrees on what’s going to be built or what’s going to be purchased.
Now my concern with downtown, | mean there was a Letter to the Editor written from a woman who works for a
nonprofit a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately | couldn’t make the meetings because I’m one of these suckers
that have to work for a living so | can pay my increase in taxes that are probably going to up maybe 2, 3
percent again this year. So | look at what you’re going to do. I’ve questioned it and | was talking to Alderman
Wilshire prior to the meeting and | was saying you know where has been the arts community to raise this
money prior to this? One would think, one would think that maybe you would have your money already to go
so if you found a building and you wanted the project to go, you had at least $4 million to put into the pot to
show that you’re serious about the money. My question is why would you as $15.5 million why wouldn’t you
make them come up with half the money? Why should the taxpayers have to pay for this? This is a
government project basically government. What is government’s responsibility? It’s not to have an arts center.
