Board of Aldermen 10-13-2020 Page 12
did. Later we raised our family in Bow, New Hampshire and had the very good fortune to be able to serve
on the Board of the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. And that’s the primary thing | just wanted to
relay on to all of you as you are getting ready to make this important decision tonight and also acknowledge
the hard work that all of you have been doing, it’s an important question and important issue for the City of
Nashua.
But as a resident of Nashua, having had the opportunity to live in the Concord area and participate on the
Board of the Capitol Center for the Arts from 2001 to 2007, really had an opportunity to see first-hand the
exciting change that really did take place in Concord. The way that | see the community by the way coming
together in Nashua is really wonderful and exciting. | have to say | have heard some comments on the
negative side from some folks who are concerned, well this is really not going to benefit everybody in the
community. That just could not be further from the facts based on what | know them to be from the time
that | served on the Board and beyond that time period watching what happened in Concord. School
children, community groups, non-profit organizations all benefited from that organization and continue to do
so. | see the same thing happening here, frankly in a very energized way.
So for all of you, you are really sort of at the ground base here of something that | think is going to be so
additive to what my wife and | have found to really be an amazing quality of life, right? Things from Mine
Falls, the Nashua Rail Trail, the Nashua Library all serve a special purpose to this quality of life that is really
building and evolving and really developing a wonderful reputation for Nashua. So we are excited to be
here to be part of it. | will also say that my employer, Bank of American, | am very proud as many of you
we made the leading donation here, $250,000.00 which was one of the leading grants that we’ve done here
in New Hampshire to date as an investment of the future of downtown Nashua and a belief in downtown
Nashua.
Our roots are here, dating back to Indian Head Bank so we are part of the community, we have employees
that work here as well. So speaking for Ken Sheldon who is our company president and others, we believe
in what is happening here. So just speaking to you tonight as a resident, | am excited for all of you. It’s an
important decision but it is the right decision. Thank you, thank you very much.
President Wilshire
Thank you. | have Catherine Sofikitis.
Catherine Sofikitis Hi, thank you. | am State Representative Catherine Sofikitis from Nashua Ward 7. My
address is 54 Marshall Street and tonight | have come to speak about R-20-077, Indigenous People’s Day.
It is often quite easy here in Colonial New England to think that the history of this area started when it was
“discovered” by European Explorers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our archeological history
brings the indigenous people back 11,000 years in this history in this area; The Penacook, The
Winnipesaukee, The Pequawket, Soco, Key, Koasek and Ossipee among other. They all spoke related
dialects of the Abenaki Language (audio cuts out). Strong, vital indigenous people thrived here.
They did not own the land. They hunted and fished in their homeland area. They lived in small family
bands and joined to form tribes and confederations as their needs dictated. By the late 1600’s their
population was declining due to interactions that brought sickness to the tribes and skirmishes for land.
Between 1615 and 1620, there were epidemics of the flu and smallpox. A remnant of Abenaki
Descendants remained in their homeland including present-day New Hampshire. They are working hard
to preserve their customs, language, and culture. Their current status is as a pre-constitutional tribe that
has filed for Federal Recognition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Petition Number 151. They were
originally recognized by George Washington as the nation was being formed.
| believe that is vitally important to honor our indigenous peoples and recognize the rich history they have
given us and the contributions they continue to make. We are a state rich in indigenous history and names
for towns, lakes, mountains, and rivers. It just remains for us to honor their past. Thank you.
