Board of Aldermen — 2/20/18 Page 4
Involving Our Citizens
Another goal of mine is to include more citizens in our city government. | have appointed dozens of
people to city boards and commissions, from the Planning Board to the Cultural Connections Committee.
Last year | announced that we would be offering a new Nashua City Academy, a multi-week course that
educates Nashua citizens about city government. | am happy to say that we graduated our first class
last June, and we are looking forward to welcoming 50 new citizen-students to our second City Academy
next month.
Making Smart Investments in Our Infrastructure
Nashua is making smart and strategic investments in our infrastructure — investments that benefit
everyone in every neighborhood. We need and deserve an infrastructure that is efficient, effective and
accountable to the people who pay for it. To maintain the quality of life we deserve, let’s repair the
streets and roads that are crumbling and modernize our sewage treatment plant and sewers. But we
must do this in a smart, strategic way so that we get what we pay for.
Potholes have been a serious problem this winter, and not just in Nashua. Some of our streets like
Kinsley are in bad shape. The combination of record cold temperatures, repeated freezing and thawing,
a lot of rain, and the poor condition of many streets have all contributed. The Street Department is
sending out numerous crews to fill potholes and they have filled over 2,000 potholes so far this winter.
Before | became Mayor, Nashua was only paving about 5 to 6 miles of its 300 miles of streets each year.
In order to help Nashuans from all neighborhoods, we have adopted a $37.5 million Paving Plan of
Action. Over 5 years we will dramatically improve the condition of Nashua’s streets. We have rated the
condition of all streets using real data and fact-based analysis. In 2017 we paved and crack-sealed 30
miles of streets. In 2018 we will do a lot more. We have made major improvements to the sewage
treatment plant after years of neglect. Also we will be rebuilding the red-listed bridge on Canal Street
near BAE.
For the residents in the Broad Street neighborhood and for drivers throughout Nashua, this last July, we
improved the intersections at Charron Avenue and Whole Foods/Turnpike Plaza. Enabling left turns
eliminates unnecessary waiting time and makes travelling around the city easier for thousands of
Nashuans. In the South End, especially at Exit 1, we have a problem with traffic congestion. For
residents of South Nashua, we have initiated discussions with the State DOT about the possibility of new
on and off ramps on the southbound lane of the Everett Turnpike at Gateway Hills. This is a long term
project, but we are committed to making it a reality in order to improve travel times for Nashuans in our
South End.
Being Careful with Our Tax Dollars
Since | have been Mayor, we have passed two budgets that have maintained and improved the quality of
schools and other services while keeping annual tax increases under three percent. And we have done
this despite a $2 million increase in the city’s mandatory contribution to the state pension system and
major increases in other fixed costs.
