Board of Aldermen 10-13-2020 Page 14
people who survived to carry out such rich native traditions for our future generation. Please, | humbly ask
that you change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. | just want to note that 12 states in the United
States have changed it including Washington, DC and 130 towns and cities have changed it. Thank you so
much.
President Wilshire
Thank you. Next we have Paul Shea.
Paul Shea Thank you, Madam President, Mr. Mayor, Board of Aldermen. My name is Paul Shea and | live
at 102 Towle Street in French Hill in downtown Nashua. | serve as the Executive Director for Great
American Downtown and this evening | am speaking on behalf of our organization and Board of Directors.
As you may know, our work is centered around economic and cultural vibrancy in downtown Nashua. Our
mission is to provide coordination, collaboration and partnerships that unify that entire Nashua Community
around a common vision for an attractive downtown that is vibrant, viable and truly reflects the character of
our City.
This evening, you are taking up a measure which will establish a Tax Increment Finance District to
actualize the potential of the School Street Lot as well as provide a funding mechanism to service the bond
relative to the construction for the Performing Arts Center. We know that the Performing Arts Center, one
of the additional benefits beyond the direct, tangible enjoyment that people receive by going to shows will
also work to drive development. We here in Nashua are in a housing crisis and interest from developers in
under-utilized parcels will help to address some of that need through a combination of market rate and
workforce housing.
This School Street Development as | understand from taking in the last meeting, is largely driven, the
interest is largely driven by the impending arrival of this Performing Arts Center. So for us, it makes a lot of
sense that this Tax Increment Finance District would be established to facilitate the funding for the Center
as well as address the needs of adjacent businesses to the School Street parcel through the establishment
of the parking structure and will hopefully be not the last of the level of interest from developers to bring
more housing to Nashua.
On a personal level, my wife and | have committed to the project. We are looking forward to hopefully
someday sitting in some seats with our name on a little tag. We know that there are many Nashuans who
will continue to step up to support this project through their donations, their time, their interest, their support
and eventually their patronage as attendees at the performances at the facility. This action being
considered by the Board tonight will represent the culmination of many moving parts, many professional
and volunteer efforts that have been taken up in earnest over the span of several years. We commend the
Board of Aldermen, the Performing Arts Center Steering Committee and Nashua Community Arts as they
work continues to making a vision for Nashua’s Performing Arts Center a reality.
Though the progress for Nashua’s Performing Arts Center has largely taken place recently in the past few
years, this vision for Nashua’s Performing Arts Center has been developed and recommended for some
time. Establishing such facilities is represented in the City of Nashua’s 2000 Master Plan and the 2015
Nashua Arts & Culture Plan, both of which will be updated in the year ahead to reflect and build upon this
great progress as well as the 2003 Downtown Master Plan and recommended by the Performing Arts
Center Feasibility Study.
The vision for Nashua’s Performing Arts Center has been developed and refined over many years with
great attention to detail. Nashua stands to benefit a great deal from this good work as we approach
execution in the months ahead. It is your dedicated work and diligence and through it that we will see the
Performing Arts Center thrive and in doing so bring more opportunities for enjoyment and economic growth
to our downtown and to our City as a whole. Thank you all for what you do continually to improve city life
not just with this piece of business but every day, every week that you dedicate yourselves to Nashua. This
is going to bring arts and culture to the citizens of Nashua and the surrounding area. We want to thank you
