Board of Aldermen — 9/12/17 Page 14
Government’s responsibility is Police, Fire Public Works and schools. That’s what government’s responsibility
is. This should be a private project, private money. We shouldn’t have to be bonding all this money because
when you say our children’s future here what about every time you bond that’s another loan that our children
have to pay back. Look at the federal government. We're over $20 trillion in debt. It’s so easy to say that
we’re going to be retiring bonds but every time you retire there’s always another one coming and that’s what
we leave for our children — a legacy. I’m not a crazy woman here either like you said about that other one.
Matter of fact that woman who was sitting right there, she nailed it on the head. This is a business which
government does not ever do a good job of running a business. We see that time in and time out. We don’t do
a good job of Medicare. We don’t do a good job of Medicaid. There’s fraud in the system. Yes there is
Alderman as you shake your head and there is.
What we need to do this has to be a private endeavor, private business has to run it, Board of Directors, and it
needs to be straight and the business had to be profitable. If it isn’t and we the taxpayer undertake this
endeavor, we will pay for this if it fails because why, we hold the bond. It’s a loan. It’s aloan and you don’t
want the city to get a bad credit rating because then when you really need to do something and you don’t pay
anything and things happen, guess what you don’t have that AAA rating that we brag about. The reason we
can brag about it is because we pay our bills right now. Bonding is a serious issue here. $15.5 million I’m not
comfortable with Alec Shoe Store downtown and why don’t people come down? The parking you have to pay
for the meters number one. | don’t go to the parking garage because | remember when | was on the Board
with you Alderman McCarthy, Alderman Wilshire, Alderman Deane, Attorney Bolton we used to have people
manning the parking garage. Then we took it away and my question are we going to have cameras there?
Who’s going to man the cameras? If anything happens, who’s watching? It’s not a live body that’s there.
People don't like to go to the parking garages. In case we forgot, Nashua has a big drug problem here and
most of the cops are out there on the drug problem. When people run the red lights, you can’t get anybody.
Let’s do our due diligence tonight. No reason to have to vote on this immediately. Let's see the arts
community step up already with that $4 million to show us in good faith and make them come up with half the
money before we'll even think about bonding. Let’s start taking a look at the buildings. Look at the Jan
Streeter building how deplorable that building has been over the years. We didn’t’ do anything like that. We
don’t’ have the money to fix our buildings. Our schools show it and yet we’re going to get another building and
go into a project like this. Thank you.
Latha Mangipudi, 20 Salmon Brook Drive
Good evening Mayor and Board of Aldermen and President McCarthy. My name is Latha Mangipudi. | reside
at 20 Salmon Brook Drive and serve as a State Rep. for Ward 8 and this is my third term. I’m here to support
the performing arts center. Mayor Donchess alluded to former Congressman who made — | have his testimony
but I’m going to paraphrase what he had to say. He was here. He heard about this and on NRP this morning
and he was very excited with the fact that Nashua is going to get a heart and soul in downtown Nashua which
in his words “if you invest one dollar in performing arts center which bring art and culture to downtown Nashua
and to the surrounding communities, it brings dividend not $7 dollars but about $7 to$10. So one dollar of
investment brings in $7 to $10 in return.” That’s his testimony.
Personally for me, I’ve lived in Nashua for over 26 years, raised 2 children who are 28 and 26. Neither one of
them live here. | would love to see them back here. This past weekend they were home and when they were
hearing about this performing arts center, the response from the two youngsters — the millennial generation
that we are trying to attract was finally Nashua is waking up to the fact that we need a heart and soul in
downtown.
The other hat | wear is as many of know 6 percent of Nashua population is Indian American and very vibrant in
terms of art, culture, music, and performing arts. The minute they heard about the fact that there is this talk
about performing arts center, I’ve been getting calls. When is it going to be so we can have some
performances? Right now on an average | get invitation for an art show, music, dance, and drama theater
from just the Indian community just across the border 3 to 5 per week. | cannot keep up with the requests and
amount of cultural activity that’s happening. We have young families from different diverse communities that
have made home in Nashua. Here is an opportunity that we open up no silos, no boundaries to celebrate and
