Special Bd. of Aldermen — 5/2/17 Page 13
Director Cummings
To clarify my earlier comment, the Court Street business plan pro forma and excel spreadsheet that was
included was above what was originally anticipated to help explain how you would make that building solid.
Additionally, | want to circle back to some comments made to further illustrate the point that we are looking to
help redevelop Main Street and help revitalize Main Street. Study upon study and from an urban planning
perspective, we know that Main Street as a corridor is changing from a retail district to more of a cultural and
arts type of community district. To develop an anchor to be a critical component to contribute to that type of
economic activity will only help with stabilizing the neighborhood. This would just be one piece, one ingredient.
We would need to continue on other efforts as well, whether that’s introducing more market-rate housing into
the downtown, introducing other types of uses. We need to continue to make these investments if we are
going to enhance our community. | think what you will hear is some of our smaller businesses, our merchants
are looking for assistance in trying to help stabilize Main Street, and this is just one way of doing that.
Alderman Siegel
Philosophically, I’m in favor of this type of project. | think it would make sense. Unfortunately | sit here and |
understand the constraints that we’re under. We may be retiring some bond debt. Is that bond debt we’re
retiring, is it under the Cap, over the Cap, what’s the timing? Now you're taking a big chunk of money and we
already have this problem. Strategically, | say that’s great and it makes sense. It’s a powerful driver of
development. |’ve been talking with Director Cummings, and | think he has some very good ideas and overall
strategy. But | just want to understand in the City of Nashua, given our financial constraints that we have, and
the mechanism that do constrain us, how do we make that happen? | need that explained. None of that is up
here because that is very, very specific to Nashua. | do appreciate the studies that you have done. It is very
clear that you’ve been diligent. But somebody somehow has to explain to me how we get from here to there
given that we have a situation where we’re looking at whether or not we can fully staff the police and fire
department given our Spending Cap issues. Now we're talking about potentially a million dollars. Where does
that come from? That's my open question.
President McCarthy
| think that’s the discussion we’re going to have to have after this meeting.
Alderman Siegel
But not tonight.
Alderman Lopez
When we do a large scale development project without necessarily making the links necessary to make it a
comprehensive plan, you have issues like a road that people are under-utilizing that doesn’t have a destination
attraction. My understanding of the Broad Street Parkway was it was supposed to reduce the traffic load on
Main Street by giving the drivers another route out of the downtown area. But we also have to look at the
connecting roads and rehabilitate how they work now that there’s a presence of a new incoming and
outcooking roadway. When we come up with an isolated plan without integrating it into larger city priorities, it
doesn’t necessarily payoff.
| would also say as someone who grew up in Concord and watched how the performing arts center there
really, really, really revitalized their downtown, the impact that is being suggested here as likely is not really
rocket science. It has been proven to be viable in communities similar and near in location to ours. | think the
concept of a Main Street Performing Arts Center with a corner of it is certainly a good one. Personally, I’m very
much in favor of making sure that the existing theatre is taken care of and that our smaller local groups, as
they have been referred to, are getting the attention they deserve. We also have to make sure that the artists
