Board of Aldermen 12-28-2021 Page 20
was so much contiguous land there that could be acquired. They also said, therefore, landowner communication should
focus on both areas simultaneously. Now, | hope that our city has taken this study and gone about doing some land or
communications. If they have and they've haven't chosen to identify this piece of property, then it says something. So |
divided the city into quadrants just like they did. You can do that and pretty much group a few different wards together and
what you see, and | went back with the information we got today from DPW or the Park and Rec. group, and | found that
in the northwest, which is comprised of - well it doesn't matter - the northwest has about 55 acres of park. The northeast,
which is where Greeley Park sits and that's comprised of Ward 3 and 4, there's 325 acres of parks and also the riverwalk.
So the riverwalk that we just committed $21 million to, to provide more open space is something that we chose to do
because it will benefit many different socio economic areas of the city.
Greeley Park is already 100 acres - whether it's 96 or 120 I'm getting different numbers, but | believe it's an exaggeration
to say we've got to get these 15 acres. This part of Nashua is not deficient of open space. 325 acres of park, the
southwest has 441, the southeast, which is comprised of four different wards, has only 165. The southeast includes 6, 7,
8, and 9. We are park deficient. What that means according to this study and according to the Master Plan is that we
need to acquire. We need to have money to acquire some land, some areas that become available in 6, 7, 8, and 9 if you
want to address park defective or deficient quadrants. We need money to buy land and turn it into parks. The Master
Plan calls for an investment in tree planting. We have a lot of parks. These parks are open spaces and they haven't been
maintained with tree plantings. That's an expense. That's an infrastructure project that going to cost money and it should
be done. It shouldn't be ignored.
So our Parks and Rec. gave us the acreage of parks throughout the city but while | waited for that information, | did a
survey on my own and | found if you include open spaces, not just parks but large tracts of land that the City of Nashua
has already identified as either wetlands or has chosen to purchase, then we have in the northeast quadrant 180 acres
plus all of riverwalk. It's not the highest. The southwest quadrant has more but the southeast quadrant has 88 acres only
of open space. That includes parks and places like the Joyce natural area near Burke Street, which is a large tract and
Salmon Brook. This is a quadrant that needs some money if it needs to be addressed so that it's equitable with other
parts of the city.
So | wish - | understand how the residents feel and I, too, love Greeley Park but it's already 100 acres. | just don't think
that money that 2.5 | don't think it's important to increase that green space at that particular spot. There's also a section in
in the northeast quadrant that needs attention and it is Pennichuck Brook. It's further north. They call it vulnerable. It's
something that the city should be planning to address but we need long term planning and not boom let's spend $2.5
million on this. Since I've been on the Board, we've spent $25 million but we bonded $25 million dollars for a performing
arts center that we no longer (inaudible). We've put $2.5 million toward a new garage. We put the DPW development
going up for many million. We're working on our schools. | don't think we should out of the blue say, gee, | think we have
to also bond this. We have to stop somewhere and we have to think of what $2.5 million dollars would do for affordable
housing as well. That just about covers - oh one other thing.
| may need to abstain on this vote. So | just wanted to ask whether I'm looking at chapter five, number 17 on votes and it
tells me that a member may abstain only if he declares a conflict of interest. Now | thought of this because | remember
Alderman Wilshire | wanted to abstain at one point and you told me | couldn't. I've heard it brought up before. So | just
wanted to ask through you to Corporation Counsel whether 517 C, if I'm reading this correctly, that an abstention needs a
reason. If so, could we just correct the record?
Steve Bolton, Corporation Counsel
Not sure | understand the question.
Alderwoman Lu
I'll repeat it. | don't think it needs to be rephrased. My question is do we have an ordinance or a point in our code which is
in our Administrative Chapter 5, a chapter that's specially dedicated to the Board of Aldermen and its procedures, number
17 entitled “votes, division, and recordation c.” Does that say that a member may abstain from voting only if he declares a
conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest? If that's in this ECODE here, should | ask assume that you had just
never read it or you forgot it when you said that there's no such requirement?
Steve Bolton, Corporation Counsel
| think when Alderwoman Kelly and Alderman Laws previously abstained, it was crystal clear why they were abstaining...
