OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Nashua Infrastructure Committee Meeting – August 28, 2025

Board of Aldermen Meetings — Thursday, August 28, 2025
BodyNashua, New Hampshire
SessionBoard of Aldermen Meetings
DateThursday, August 28, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:29

And on mute, we're unmuted and okay.

0:34

We are on recording.

0:36

Thank you.

0:37

Good evening.

0:39

I'm gonna call to order the committee of infrastructure.

0:42

This being Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 7 p.m.

0:47

in the algorithmic chamber and duly noticed in two places, including the city's website, in accordance with the requirements of RSA 91-8, heavy colon two, numeral number two.

1:00

Uh roll call will be taken to the clerk, please.

1:05

Yes.

1:05

Um thank you, Mr.

1:06

Chairman.

1:07

Um Alderman Thibodeau.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Alderman Sullivan.

1:11

Here.

1:11

Alderman Klee is here.

1:12

Alderman Dowd.

1:14

Present.

1:14

And um Alderman at large, um O'Brien.

1:17

Present.

1:18

You have five, um, present.

1:20

Okay, I declare a quorum.

1:22

Welcome everybody.

1:24

Also in attendance will be Mr.

1:27

Tim Cummings, Administrative Services Director.

1:30

Liz Hanham, Economic Development Director.

1:33

Uh we're expecting Jill Stanfield.

1:37

She's online.

1:38

Uh, she's on.

1:38

Hi, Jill.

1:40

Um, okay, parking manager, uh, Don Enright, and we also have another guest, Mr.

1:48

Craig Fitzgerald of the Boys and Girls Club.

1:52

Uh now I'll open up the portion of the meeting to public comment.

1:59

Seeing no one, we'll close that session.

2:03

Discussions and presentations.

2:06

We have a couple tonight, but I think we have one quick one because it is pending.

2:13

Um time is out of the matter, as you know.

2:17

In New England, we only have a short window for uh shovel ready projects, and this seems to be happening uh with the boys and girls club.

2:27

So I'm gonna invite up to uh give us a presentation of uh the covenant work, Mr.

2:33

Craig Fishgero.

2:34

Can you come up and you could take any of the open seats you wish?

2:38

Is it on the agenda?

2:39

No.

2:40

And also I asked the board without objections to accept this testimony from uh Mr.

2:47

Fitzgerald.

2:48

Main reason is it can't it's that quick, and it came up before you know after the agenda was prepared.

2:56

Thank you.

2:58

Mr.

2:58

Fishjarrow.

2:59

Thank you, sir.

3:00

Um, as he said, my name's Craig Fitzgerald.

3:02

I'm the executive director at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua.

3:05

Very excited to share with you a project that we are uh hoping to undertake.

3:10

Um we are currently in the process of um in the middle of a 12 million dollar capital campaign.

3:15

Um as part of the campaign, we'll be expanding child care, building a uh youth mental health suite.

3:20

We've already improved our kitchen, serving 75,000 meals a year, um, as well as a new steam lab and some other initiatives.

3:28

One of the goals of the program or the capital campaign is to expand open air outdoor spaces for youth activities in front of the building.

3:37

We're located at one positive place, right in front of the building is a very old um street hockey court.

3:43

We currently run multiple street hockey leagues on it, one of them with the POW organization.

3:48

Um, as part of this capital campaign, um we partnered with Conway Arena, who has been kind enough to provide 100,000 in seed funding to revitalize that street hockey court.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Works█████████████████████████████29%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Public Library Services█████████9%
Parking Regulations███████7%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Hydroelectric Facilities███████7%
Procedural█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Youth Programs████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Nashua Infrastructure Committee Meeting – August 28, 2025

The Committee of Infrastructure met on August 28, 2025 (the meeting was called to order on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chamber and adjourned at 9:18 p.m.). The meeting featured an extensive annual update on general fund capital projects, a special presentation on the Boys & Girls Club street hockey court, and votes on several routine items. Present were Aldermen Thibodeau, Sullivan, Klee, Dowd, and O’Brien; staff including Director Tim Cummings, Director Liz Hanham, City Engineer Dan Hudson, and others.

Discussion Items

  • Boys & Girls Club Street Hockey Court (Craig Fitzgerald, Executive Director): Fitzgerald presented a $440,000 project to revitalize the outdoor street hockey court at 1 Positive Place. Funding sources: $100,000 from Conway Arena, $100,000 from the Bruins Foundation, and $240,000 from the Boys & Girls Club capital campaign. The court will be a 55% replica of an NHL rink with new boards, stadium seating, and the Bruins logo. The city land involved will be a gift to the city after construction, with the club managing 12-15 hours per week for youth leagues and the remainder open to the public. Start date targeted for September 15, 2025, pending full Board of Aldermen approval on September 9, 2025. No vote was taken by the committee; the presentation was informational.
  • Annual General Fund Capital Project Status Update (Tim Cummings, Administrative Services Director): A high-level overview was provided for over a dozen projects, with project sponsors available for questions. Key updates included:
    • Elm Street/High Street Parking Garages (Tim Lamere, Owner’s Project Manager): Emergency repairs completed in winter 2025; three phases of structural work ongoing. Hazardous materials (lead paint and caulking) were discovered in both garages, requiring a remediation plan and additional funding. The total $15 million bond is on track. The committee requested quarterly updates.
    • Nine Riverside Police Training Facility: Construction is 47% complete, on schedule for December 2025. Roof and parking lot refurbishment are upcoming, with roof work potentially done before winter using the existing contractor.
    • Fire Department HVAC Projects (Assistant Chief Adam Pouliot): Completed AC replacement at Spitbrook Road Station. Connet Road Station (Station 6) AC work underway. A boiler replacement at the dispatch center will go to the Finance Committee on September 17, 2025 (high-efficiency unit, ~$8,000 more but 98% efficient). Building controls at Lake Street and East Hollis Street stations need replacement; controls at East Hollis have failed completely.
    • Pine Hill Station Feasibility Study: Underway with $100,000 approved; expected completion after the first of the year.
    • Hunt Memorial Building Renovations: Phase one complete; phase two (window installation) starts September 2025 and should finish before year-end.
    • City Hall HVAC Upgrades: Design complete; construction manager selected. Work to start fall 2025 with goal to finish before winter to avoid building closure. Contract approval teed up for September Finance Committee.
    • City Hall Elevator: Initial quotes came in over budget; additional funding needed.
    • Arlington Street Community Center Renovation: Completed (ribbon cutting held in 2024).
    • DPW Fleet Maintenance Facility: Design is 50% complete; permitting in fall, bond authorization and construction anticipated spring/summer 2026.
    • Holman Stadium (Superintendent Brian Conant): Light replacement cost $815,000; will go to Board of Public Works. Also planning fire suppression upgrade, seating bowl, and corrosion repairs.
    • Greeley Park Stonehouse Renovations: Underway; concrete floor pours next week. Band shell renovations start October 2025 (two-week duration). Pool epoxy flooring in all three pool locker rooms awarded and starting.
    • Transportation Projects (Dan Hudson, City Engineer): Taylor Falls/Veterans Bridges rehab underway (joint with Hudson, 80% state/federal funded); eastbound bridge membrane work and paving next week. Heritage Rail Trail East in final design; Walnut Street Oval advancing with a $500,000 early-child project for West Pearl Street and Main Street signal changes. East Hollis Street Gateway project redesigned (eliminated rotary due to asbestos costs); will replicate existing layout with bike/ped improvements. Spruce Street Connector (multimodal path) engineering starts 2027. Lock and Whitney bike/ped project in study phase with public meeting this fall.
    • Riverwalk (Liz Hanham, Economic Development Director): Substantial completion November 1, 2025; grand reopening May 2026. Water Street Bridge mural finalists selected. Next phase (quadrant three) design and TIF expansion underway.
    • Dog Park: LMG will build at Mine Falls Park entrance as part of NIMCO master development agreement; initial design discussions with advisory committee.
  • Library Plaza Reconstruction Pause (Matt Sullivan, Community Development Director): The project, which had reached 100% design with a full bid package, is being paused due to potential larger redevelopment of the library site. Federal HUD funding (via Congresswoman) may be pivoted to a different green space area. The committee expressed concern about the current plaza's condition and urged that the area not be neglected.
  • Sustainability – Hydroelectric Facility (Deb Chisholm): The Jackson Falls Hydro project is complete and began generating power in July 2025; revenue from Eversource is now coming in. Punch list items remain; fish passage design work is underway for both Jackson Falls and Mine Falls facilities (mandated by FERC and fish agencies). Alderpersons raised concerns about spare parts and maintenance for the new Czech-made turbine.
  • Deerwood Drive Petition Update (Matt Sullivan): The tabled petition remains on hold; negotiations for conservation commission purchase of the property are expected to resume in coming months.

Key Outcomes

  • R25195 – Authorization for deed waivers for certain properties (tax year 2022): Motion to recommend final passage carried unanimously.
  • O25-061 – Stop sign on Weld Street at Oldfield Road: Motion to recommend final passage carried unanimously.
  • O25-064 – Amendments to permitted parking areas (Pine Street extension lot, School Street parking under High Street Lofts, Renaissance Park): Motion to recommend final passage carried unanimously.
  • Tabled item (Deerwood Drive): Remains tabled; negotiations continue.
  • General direction: The committee agreed to schedule quarterly updates on parking garage repairs and to consider a future agenda item on West Pearl Street streetscaping funding, including potential TIF use.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 9:18 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

And on mute, we're unmuted and okay. We are on recording. Thank you. Good evening. I'm gonna call to order the committee of infrastructure. This being Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the algorithmic chamber and duly noticed in two places, including the city's website, in accordance with the requirements of RSA 91-8, heavy colon two, numeral number two. Uh roll call will be taken to the clerk, please. Yes. Um thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um Alderman Thibodeau. Here. Alderman Sullivan. Here. Alderman Klee is here. Alderman Dowd. Present. And um Alderman at large, um O'Brien. Present. You have five, um, present. Okay, I declare a quorum. Welcome everybody. Also in attendance will be Mr. Tim Cummings, Administrative Services Director. Liz Hanham, Economic Development Director. Uh we're expecting Jill Stanfield. She's online. Uh, she's on. Hi, Jill. Um, okay, parking manager, uh, Don Enright, and we also have another guest, Mr. Craig Fitzgerald of the Boys and Girls Club. Uh now I'll open up the portion of the meeting to public comment. Seeing no one, we'll close that session. Discussions and presentations. We have a couple tonight, but I think we have one quick one because it is pending. Um time is out of the matter, as you know. In New England, we only have a short window for uh shovel ready projects, and this seems to be happening uh with the boys and girls club. So I'm gonna invite up to uh give us a presentation of uh the covenant work, Mr. Craig Fishgero. Can you come up and you could take any of the open seats you wish? Is it on the agenda? No. And also I asked the board without objections to accept this testimony from uh Mr. Fitzgerald. Main reason is it can't it's that quick, and it came up before you know after the agenda was prepared. Thank you. Mr. Fishjarrow. Thank you, sir.

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