A regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen was held Tuesday, December 28, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. in the aldermanic
chamber and via Zoom teleconference which meeting link can be found on the agenda and on the City’s website
calendar.
President Lori Wilshire presided; City Clerk Susan Lovering recorded.
Prayer was offered by City Clerk Susan Lovering; Alderman Skip Cleaver led in the Pledge to the Flag.
Let’s start the meeting by taking a roll call attendance. If you are participating via Zoom, please state your presence, reason
for not attending the meeting in person, and whether there is anyone in the room with you during this meeting, which is
required under the Right-To-Know Law.
The roll call was taken with 10 members in person and 5 participating via Zoom of the Board of Aldermen present:
Alderman Michael B. O’Brien, Sr., Alderman Patricia Klee, Alderwoman Shoshanna Kelly (via Zoom), Alderman Richard
A. Dowd, Alderman June M. Caron, Alderman Benjamin Clemons (via Zoom), Alderman Thomas Lopez, Alderman David
C. Tencza (via Zoom), Alderwoman Elizabeth Lu, Alderman Ernest Jette, Alderman Jan Schmidt, Alderman Brandon
Michael Laws (via Zoom), Alderman Skip Cleaver (via Zoom), Alderman Linda Harriott-Gathright, Alderman Wilshire.
Mayor James W. Donchess, Corporation Counsel Steve Bolton, were also in attendance.
REMARKS BY THE MAYOR
Mayor Donchess
Thank you Madam President. Yes. So first | wanted to update you on the COVID statistics, which we now know have
continued to remain at a high level. As of yesterday on the State website, we are significantly into substantial
transmission. Therefore we need to continue to exercise caution but the measurements are we are running a 14.6
positivity rate. Slightly, slightly lower than when we met last time. In Nashua, 1,170 new cases have arisen per 100,000
population within the last 14 days.
Hospitals are under stress, no question about it. The people are working very, very hard. As of yesterday, there were 65
people hospitalized at our two hospitals with COVID. That's the highest it's been since we've been meeting with the
hospitals almost two years ago. We now are meeting weekly and unfortunately there are some projections. The
University of Washington has been making sort of educated projections regarding the future course of the COVID
pandemic since the beginning. They're projecting a significant spike in February to the point where at least their
projections suggest that statewide the demand for intensive care beds will be 75% higher than it is right now and the
same for hospital beds devoted to COVID. The hospitals are now at about capacity. So if this does occur, it will be very
problematic. The hospitals are concerned enough that we'll be meeting with them next week to talk about at least get
their thoughts on this and talk about how potentially we could work together to try to deal with it if that unfortunate course
of events does come to pass. Hopefully it will not but people are watching these projections.
Next Madam President, | wanted to thank the city employees for all the work they've done this whole year. Worked very
hard, again, during the pandemic. Particularly just recently our Public Works employees were clearing the streets, doing
salting/brining on Christmas Day actually when we had some bad weather conditions. So thank you to them and to
everyone else for all of your dedication.
A couple of items on the agenda, Madam President that | wanted to mention. The first R-21-203 regarding the acquisition
of the parcel adjacent to Greeley Park. The so-called Bartlett forest. This, | believe, is for the long term benefit of the city
worth acquiring. | equated it to similar to the Pennichuck watershed, which was developed some years ago. After it
happened, everybody in town said, what you let that happen? Why would you have allowed the development of the
Pennichuck watershed? This was mostly in the middle 90s, maybe middle and late 90s but the only recourse that the city
could have taken at the time was to try to acquire the property, which did not happen. In this case, land adjacent to the
oldest and when we have an expert involved one of the very rare English style passive parks that are remaining in the
New England and in the United States. To have development right up against the edge of the property to me would
impair the quality of that park. So consider that favorably.
Another important ordinance that you have on the agenda or piece of businesses, this one's an ordinance, is the
inclusionary zoning ordinance. | know many members of the Board have worked on this and been familiar with it as it has
evolved and been developed. Matt Sullivan, the Planning Director, formerly and the former Community Development
Director Sarah Marchant, Tim Cummings, and a number of members of the Board have been working with the
conclusions reached when we involve the consultant and have proposed an ordinance that would require affordable
