I'm going to call a special meeting of the Board of Alderman to order on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at 7 p.m.

in the Aldermanic Chamber, which has been duly noticed in two places, including the city's website in accordance with the requirements of RSA 91A.

The prayer will be offered by Alderman Tebow, and the pledge to the flag will be led by Alderman Gregg.

Almighty God, we have the high honor and the serious duty of managing the affairs of our beloved city.

Fill us, oh God, with a spirit of unity and understanding, which enables us to face our multiple problems with a serene mind with justice and charity for all, so that any and all decisions made by us will always be for the betterment and greater happiness of all our fellow citizens, so help us God.

Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands.

Let's start the meeting by taking a roll call attendance, please.

Alderman at large, Alderman Clemens.

Alderman Clee.

I am here.

I am I'm sorry, I am uh participating uh at home.

I am and the reason is that I have a very ill um dog at the moment.

Um and I can hear everything.

Although I have to say it cut out a little bit.

Um I did not hear you say alderman, I just heard Clee.

So I'll let you know if I if I have a problem.

Alderman Steven Chess.

Alderwoman Venja Follata Smith.

Alderman Derek Thibault is here, Alderman Michael O'Brien, presentman Alicia Gregg.

Here Alderman Dowd, present Alderman John Sullivan, Alderman Tim Sennett?

Here Alderman Paula Johnson.

Present Alderman Shoshana Kelly here.

Alderman Amber Morgan.

Here Alderman Tom Lopez.

And Alderman at large, President Wilshire.

I'm here.

We have ten present.

Uh five not present.

Uh and so thank you.

Before we get started, I just want to make one announcement.

Um, as many of you might know, we had an alderman resign last night for uh personal reasons.

I want to put it out there that we are gonna be accepting letters of interest for the ward one alderman's seat through the end of April.

So if anyone is interested from Ward 1 in holding the uh the uh ward one seat, please send a um letter of rec uh a letter of interest to Donna Graham in the legislative office here at City Hall.

Thank you.

Okay, tonight I am going to turn the meeting over to Alderman Dowd.

Yes, the this evening we have a public hearing on R 26020, and that will be on the bond issue relative to the acquisition of the Mulberry Street property only.

So when testimony is we come up and do testimony in favor or against, it's only on that resolution.

The other thing is it would be followed by a joint PEDC budget meeting, and all members sitting in the chamber, Alderman can discuss the the motions, both resolutions, but on the resolution to acquire that was sent to PEDC, only PEDC members can vote.

And uh woman at large uh Alicia Gregg is going to sit down on PDC to have a quorum.

And then we will have the second resolution where it's the bond issue to uh acquire the property.

That will only be able to be voted on by the people sitting here that are on the budget committee.

Excuse me, Alderman Dowd.

Yes, this is for the public hearing, right?

This is still the public hearing.

I was just explaining what's gonna happen after the public hearing.

Oh, okay.

So now we're we we'll open the public hearing on R 26020, authorizing the mayor and the city treasurer to issue bonds not to exceed the amount of nine hundred thousand dollars to fund the purchase design renovation work and renovations for a resource center at 14 Mulberry Street.

No.

Good evening.

Bobby Bagley, Director for the Division of Public Health and Community Services.

Hello, Latonia Mussioli, Housing Services Officer for the Division of Public Health and Community Services.

We want to thank you for the opportunity to present at this public hearing on the National Resource Center and Transitional Housing, of which the purpose of this project is to be able to provide our unhoused population and community with access to a structure or a site where they can participate in the following multidisciplinary community resources that would include allowing for housing navigation and emergency shelter referrals, services that will be provided by our community health workers, also substance use treatment referrals and mental health referrals by having some of our providers on site as well.

The community health workers will also help assist obtain vital documents, which includes birth certificates, non-driver's license ID or driver's licenses as well.

They will also assist with applying for benefits, and so we know it's really important to have SSI, SSDI in order to have funding that will help support housing.

And then other services that are really needed where we've seen where we've seen gaps in our community, and those include showers, being able to do laundry, have access to computer or at network by having iPads, and then also being able to during the cold uh weather provide overnight warming station services as we currently do at Elm Street, and then during the day be able to have extreme heat cooling station, and so during the daytime being able to have a place where folks can be able to go inside.

And all of this is done, as you know, we have service organizations that are providing some of these services.

Um, our resource center will be new in this area as far as at this level.

Um we still are looking as a complement or support to some of the services that already currently exist through some of our other organizations.

The additional thing that we need to have at this site is the transitional housing units.

We know that we have a housing crisis.

We know that some of the individuals that we work with have a very extremely hard time uh getting housing for lots of different reasons, and this will allow for us to be able to support some of those individuals.

Um I do want Latanya to also speak to some of the other another project that we have, which is our uh TPRA um program that will also kind of run tangent with this, but it this will also be a complement to that as well.

So they'll all work together.

So the City of Nashua Division of Public Health received 100,000 to do a pilot tenant-based rental assistance project, and this project is to support folks with any rental assistance needs that they may have, um, but also to keep folks that are at risk of homelessness housed.

So this is HUD funding that came to community development that um the city applied for uh through their home ARP program.

Um so we have started this pilot project now, and this service would be continued and offered over through the resource center.

Um, and again, it's for folks that are considered homeless based on the HUD definition, are at risk of homelessness, are fleeing domestic violence or otherwise facing housing instability.

Okay.

Anything else to add, Director Bangley?

Um, pretty much that's it.

I mean, we understand that this is something that's really needed in our community based on the gaps that we have seen based on our experience over the past three years with running the warming station and the past three years of just working with this um community and understanding that this resource center will allow for us to be able to provide some continual services that cannot be offered in the evening at the warming station.

And so that's why this resource center is also very, very important.

I also see Director Cummings uh anxious to get to the microphone.

I was just gonna say, okay.

Um I just wanted to add in too that um I know that some folks may be concerned with the fact that if we do create a resource center, will that attract more people to Nashua?

Um and the truth is we're kind of behind on this measure.

A lot of our community uh partners and other neighboring communities already have resource centers.

Manchester has an engagement center, there's one in Derry, there's one in Rochester, Lowell has one.

Um so a lot of the the folks that are utilizing those services are able to stay in their community, and that's really what we're hoping for here.

Director Cummings.

Yes, thank you.

Uh for the record, Tim Cummings, Director of Administrative Services.

Uh I'm up here to talk a little bit about some of the more mundane elements of this uh project, but uh pieces of information I believe uh prudent uh to the conversation tonight, maybe not specifically to uh um R2619, but certainly maybe relative to R2620 as you look at the project in its in entirety.

Um I just wanted to talk a little bit about the business uh elements of this of this uh proposal because I know some of this came up at our prior meeting, and so I wanted to get ahead of it before any questions may arise uh this evening.

So um God bless you.

Um so I think there was a question asked uh uh a week or so ago about total project cost.

You know, I I I would anticipate total project cost for this project to be between four and four and a half million dollars.

I will say that um we have not started design on that.

We are definitely taking some considerations there that could be reduced down if the design turns out to be favorable, but we don't have certain details yet.

So we're we're we're planning for it uh in in that type of scenario.

I think uh everyone should uh be cognizant of the fact that uh at this time it needs to be looked at as a hundred percent funded by the city in Nashua, though we would be looking to get other sources of funds as we move forward.

The current proposals before you is just to start the project, and that's uh specifically the purchase and sale under one piece of legislation.

The second piece of legislation is authorizing uh $900,000 uh of which $700 and changes for the procurement of the of the property itself, and then the additional monies would be put towards design.

We have actually already had an architect walk through the site, um and they're developing a scope of of work for us, and we would like to engage them as quickly as possible.

So that's why that money is in is outlined in the in the uh R26 uh 20 piece of legislation, and then I'll just conclude with timing because I know that that was another question that I rose the other night.

We're gonna work as fast as we can to try to move this project along, but this project is you know envisioned to be the more permanent solution for the city of Nashua, so it's gonna take us a little bit more time.

I would think that we're gonna go through a design season if we do it as quick as we can through the summer, not looking to start construction probably until the tall uh fall time frame, and then probably not completing construction until a year from now or maybe next summer.

So wanted to kind of just put a little bit more detail out there for for the body so you had that uh for your consideration this evening.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Okay, are there any clarifying questions?

Anyone on the board has of the people that presented, all of them T boom?

Thank you.

Um to Director Cummings, I I just just to clarify what you just said.

Um would this be at least in a in a in a state that by winter that at least warming station part of it could be done, or would we still be looking to utilize Elm Street in the current one winter?

Uh at this time it would be my recommendation that we continue to use Elm Street.

Other questions?

Greg?

Um thank you, uh Chairman.

So I just just so it's on the record right now.

I think there's been a lot of talk that this seems very rushed or very haste.

And I just wanted to um clarify first of all that anybody who knows real estate knows that when you're trying to find real estate that can move quickly.

But can you please um clarify how long you've been working towards um this kind of uh a setup, the resource center?

Like how long this has been going on, you've been talking about your business plan and yeah, how long this has been going on.

Yeah, so we started having oh sorry, Director Bagley.

We started um having conversations around um the need for the resource center back in 2024.

Um and that was when we did our first proposal to our um capital improvement uh committee to to fund this at that time though it was really hard finding land and space and all that, and so um we did not give up.

We provide we applied for the congressional uh funding in that year as well.

Um, you know, again, because we knew that this need was here.

So this has been going on since about 2024 that we've been looking to again complement some of the existing services that are there because our city just continues to grow.

We keep seeing different dynamics that are presenting that's increasing housing instability and increasing the number of individuals that are unhoused, not so much that they're coming from other places, although they are because the majority of the folks that we're providing services to are Nashua residents.

Thank you.

Any additional questions?

Oh Johnson?

Thank you very much.

Um I just want to go back on a few issues here.

Um can I through the chair, Mr.

Cummings, please?

Dr.

Cummings.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Cummings, you said that you've have an architect already on site.

And what is the cost of we're putting out an RFP for an architect?

If I may, Mr.

Mr.

Cummings?

Yep.

So we have not uh put an architect under contract yet because we don't have a source of funds.

Right.

However, um, in an effort to get uh uh uh an understanding of what the design cost would be, uh we had an architect come out to look at the to look at the site to be able to give us a cost estimate so we could put the architect under contract.

To do this as as quickly as possible, we have already competitively procured an architect earlier this year.

Um and so uh if if we receive the same type of business terms, I would uh recommend to you all that you utilize um icon architecture services who are currently doing the Keefe Auditorium study because um that they would be able to work on this right away and they'd be able to move uh this this project along.

May I continue?

Follow up, yes, please.

But what does our ordinance say?

Do we have if it's over X amount of dollars we have to put out RFP competitive competitive bids versus just saying we've used him before and we're just gonna use him again?

It seems like we do this all the time here.

Where's the bid process?

Direct the code that's supposed to be open and fair.

So I can answer that question a couple ways.

Uh, our to answer the question more specifically, our ordinance doesn't say that.

Our ordinance allows us to procure professional services not through a bid.

Um, and we did actually issue an RFP for architectural services uh earlier than earlier this year, and all I'm suggesting is if this body so wants to, you can utilize a provision that would allow us to to piggyback on the current contract by offering an amendment.

If if this body doesn't want to do that, we certainly could put out an RFP uh and select and go through a design services type uh selection.

I would amend my earlier comment to say that we probably wouldn't get this under construction in the fall.

We probably wouldn't get it under construction until the spring of next year, or essentially a year from now, so you're not looking for the project to be completed until fall of I would say 27 or that time frame.

So just so you have that additional detail.

Thank you.

Follow up.

Yes, please.

And also, we're talking about we probably would have to use Elm Street again, but the mayor said that he wants to get that property sold and worked on.

And so, how are you gonna be able to use Elm Street if you're going to try to have uh another company come in and tear it down?

Director Cummings.

Thank you.

Yes, great, great question.

Uh Tim Cummings, Director of Administrative Services.

I don't foresee us selling uh the Elm Street Middle School in uh FY27.

I I think we'll be lucky if we sell it in FY28.

Um the situation or the current sat statuses is we're waiting on the Keefe Auditorium Commission to finish their work before there's any movement on the on the Elm Street Middle School.

I can tell you that that group of individuals are working hard and they're working quickly, uh, but it takes time, and uh they have a report that I think will be coming before you in short order.

Um but at this time I don't see us uh disposing of the Elm Street Middle School, definitely not in FY27, and it you know, maybe if we're lucky, we do it in FY28.

Thank you.

May I just do one more follow-up?

Thank you.

So if we're not gonna be dis for Mr.

Cummings, don't sit down.

Um if we're not gonna be disposing of it, so are we gonna use that as a temporary shelter too, where we don't have the resource center that we can use Elm Street because there's classrooms and things like that?

I I see Ms.

Bagley shaking a head, no.

I mean here's my here's my concern.

I'm looking at this house, okay?

And that's why I'm asking all these questions here.

I'm looking at the whole thing.

We're bringing an architect in.

We have no idea if there's any cracks in the foundation.

And I've asked all these questions because this is what I would ask, you know, if I'm buying a house, whether I'm a real estate agent or not.

This is a questions that you would ask.

But is this place going to be big enough?

Because you're going to do transitional housing, you're gonna have a resource center, you're gonna have like a warming station.

How many individuals do you anticipate being able to put in a warming center and traditional transitional housing in this?

What are the numbers?

And I guess everybody on the board should be asking this because if it's not big enough to house everybody, then you're putting money in the wrong building here.

So, you know, you want to do it once, not twice.

So what is the numbers of the people that are going to be able to be put in this house?

If I may come, yes, thank you.

We're not going to say with any specificity what the numbers are until we start design.

We can't give you that answer because we don't have that data.

I can't tell you how many transitional units we can put in that in that building until we start a level of design because there's code requirements that we need to follow that will start to tease out and tell us what that what that actually would be.

Now it's my understanding, and Director Bagley can correct me if I'm wrong, that from a programmatic perspective, that 14 Mulberry Street building does meet the needs of our community, and we should be able to do a resource center, a Woman uh station, transitional housing, all on that site and accommodate our needs.

Certainly not a lot more room than moving those two trailers over a two million dollars into the parking lot.

Um I have a question for Director Bagley, um, maybe Latonya.

Um I remember I believe it was the CIC evaluation ranking where um everyone basically agreed that this is a the resource center is a a worthy project, it's necessary.

Um but I recall that it was score was lowered specifically because it wasn't shovel ready.

Um moving forward in having a site, do you think it would be much easier to get grant support or find other funding if we at least have a location Latanyoli Housing Services Officer?

Yes.

Um we've already missed out on multiple funding opportunities because we did not have a location where we could provide the level of detail that's needed for these grant requirements.

Okay.

All said.

Anyone else?

Senate.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um direct question through you to uh Director Cummings.

You would um you'd given us an estimated total project cost of around four to four and a half million.

Is that contemplating the uh face value of this bond or the uh total cost of the bond at 1.2 million?

Director Cummings?

My numbers weren't contemplating anything to do with the bond.

It was just gonna be what the total project cost is.

So what I want to be clear is what's before you is just really an acquisition and what you could call pre-construction type costs.

There'll be a follow-on bond that's gonna need to come.

I don't know when, but I'm gonna suggest sometime in the summer time frame, maybe late spring, maybe early fall after design, that would be a construction type cost number.

And what I'm trying to do is to paint a picture for you so you kind of have an understanding of what the total project cost would be based off of the very preliminary information that we have that probably will change.

I can't caveat this enough.

Uh, but I do feel you have I have an obligation to at least tell you a little bit about what we understand at this point in time.

Thank you.

Follow up, Alderman Senate?

Yes, thank you.

Um with that in mind, and with sort of what I'm hearing that the stage we're at right now is probably the least expensive portion of this project.

Uh was any consideration given for the uh 300,000 in the expendable trust fund that we had established last year to uh offset the um the purchase price of this uh facility.

Who can answer that?

Uh Tim Cummings, Director of Administrative Services.

I mean, it certainly could go towards this total project if that's what you want to do.

We could certainly take some of that money that's available to us and during either the pre-construction phase, spend some of that money so we don't spend so much of the bond that's authorized, or during construction, spend some of it there, so we're not authorizing as much.

We're happy to kind of have those conversations as we continue to build build out the program and plan for this this particular project.

And if we're successful in getting grants, that would reduce that would further reduce any bond costs.

Correct.

I I if I may, Mr.

Chairman, just to follow on to that.

What I'm trying to do is paint to paint a picture for you of what the total exposure would be and what you should be prepared to undertake to be able to execute.

But I would like to believe that over time uh we would be able to come back to you as we continue the dialogue here.

Remember, when I I was up here a week or so ago, I said this is a start of a conversation.

We're gonna continue this conversation throughout the summer, and hopefully we can report back to you various types of changes, whether the cost has come down, whether we have alternative funding sources, whatever the case may be.

But I I wanted to make sure we were at least up front and clear with you as to what we're thinking the project is at this time.

Thank you.

Uh follow-up.

Thank you.

Um last one is um on the purchase and sale.

I see that we had uh given a 10,000 deposit ten thousand dollar deposit of earnest money.

Did that come out of the ETF or was that uh pulled from somebody's budget last year?

Director Cummings.

Yes, thank you.

I believe it was pulled from someone's budget, it did not come from the ETF.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I have two questions.

I'll just ask them both at the same time for time purposes.

Um could you speak a little bit about to uh to the ADA accessibility of the building and the plan for that, whether or not that was included, and then also um speak a little bit up to who would be running transitional housing should that be able to fit within the building.

Let me take the ADA first.

Thank you.

So Tim Cummings, Director of Administrative Services.

Uh at this time I'm gonna say that the building is going to be required to be a hundred percent ADA compliant.

And that is one of the issues that is uh in the back of my mind as we try to move this project forward because how we try to adhere to the code could be achieved by a few different strategies based off of what our design professionals tell us and I can't answer that for you today.

One of the unknowns at this time is whether we might be required to have an elevator.

That is a real possibility.

So the numbers I'm talking to you about tonight includes that.

I believe as we get into the project and start to understand the design, there may be a pathway forward where we don't necessarily need to provide an elevator as you typically think of it, and maybe it's an alternative type of lift system that would meet code.

And if that's the case, that could bring the price price tag down.

But I certainly don't know enough tonight to be able to make any of those types of representations.

But the building will have to be ADA compliant.

Thank you.

And the second floor speak to the Tony Museoli Housing Services Officer.

Um ideally we're looking to have a third party operate the transitional housing piece.

Um so as we learn more about the timeline, we'll be able to kind of vet that out a little bit more.

Thank you.

All said.

Yes.

Anyone else?

Oh.

Yes, Alderman Clee.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um, I have uh a couple of questions.

Um I think it was mentioned about uh moving the trailers and having to um get utilities, etc.

Uh for all of those.

Um my question on that is I think someone mentioned that there was a two million dollar price tag to that.

I was just curious about that.

And are those tempers those trailers temporary?

Um that's my kind of first couple questions about it.

And because they won't have transitional housing, would we lose at um potential funding that we spoke about?

I think it the previous meeting of I think it was 1.2 million.

Um so that's that's my question there.

If I may, Mr.

Jim.

Yes, uh Director Cummings.

Thank you.

Um I know we're having a lot of questions right now, and I'm and I'm just thinking about process-wise.

I these are so I I just want to make sure we're in good stead to continue on because I know there is a public hearing that we should be partaking in.

So um I want to answer the questions that just came before us, but I also want to leave make sure that we're leaving time for the for the community to be able to speak.

Um I think the project that was just referenced a second ago is a very different project than the one that's before you tonight for consideration.

So let me take a moment and step back.

A few weeks ago, and even I would say even further than that, a couple months ago, it was made a very clear that we needed to move forward with a resource center.

And there was a thought process at that time that we develop uh a solution, and the best most expeditious type solution that we could come up with was a temporary type measure.

And what actually got laid before you and was actually put on the finance committee, because this all happened real time, was a proposal for design services to start to be able to construct design and then ultimately construct two portable classrooms that the city has basically surplus over at the Elm Street Middle School, and we would repurpose them in a way on the Mulberry Street parking lot.

Roughly about 3,500 square feet, ironically enough, about 14 14 Mulberry Street is roughly 3,500 square feet.

The Mulberry Street proposal was always understood to be temporary.

It was going to be a resource center, certainly, and there could be an element of a warming station being there as well.

There was never going to be any type of inclusion of transitional housing.

And it was a project that we thought we could do between 1.5 and 2 million dollars.

Again, we had done no design on that, so we're not a hundred percent confident, but we knew that that was kind of the ballpark that we are that we were looking at.

And we knew we could do it in a timely manner, meaning we could probably get it done and operational before next winter or the or the or the cold season.

Fast forward to where we are today.

And we had this great opportunity with 14 Mulberry Street becoming alive, becoming available, and we seized on that opportunity for the permanent solution.

So now I want to switch gears and make sure we're all understanding that we're talking about a permanent solution that is more along the lines of what I believe people have been thinking about in terms of a transitional housing, warming station, resource center, all in one location, and we're actually going to be able to do this project for a lot less than what we were originally thinking, which was more in the six to ten million dollar range.

And we're kind of thinking this one is going to be, you know, four, four and a half million dollars.

And so we're able we were able to put this together quickly and be able to move it forward because it seemed to be a more attractive opportunity for us right now because it's leads itself to the permanent nature of it.

I will say there was a thought process at one time that there may be some alternative monies available, and that is true.

Um we're still looking to see if we can you know tap into that.

At this time, I want to make sure, and and I'm only doing this because uh Alder Woman Clee just brought it up.

I can't represent to you tonight that we'll we'll be able to use the 1.2 million dollars for this project.

Um so I think everyone needs to be aware of that and take that into consideration because we just don't have enough information at this time.

And in fact, uh, you know, I would be doing you a disservice if I led you to believe anything else.

Thank you.

Follow-up question, Old Win Clean.

Uh just just kind of um wanted to um I I did consider my question a clarifying question only because there has been uh the waters have been muddied about why aren't we going to the trailers it's gonna cost us less and so on.

I wanted to clarify that that was a temporary solution, and this is a permanent solution.

Um that was my main thing.

And I'm thank you for clarifying about the 1.2 million dollars because I've been giving out false information, and now I can step that back.

Thank you so much.

Any other questions?

Seeing none, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Well I will now call for testimony in favor of R26020.

Do you mind?

See no one?

No, no, no.

Just want to uh uh just uh we want to recognize that Alderman Lopez was in at 709.

Okay.

So again, testimony in favor of our 26020.

Name and address?

Sure.

Uh 9 Johnson Street.

Um I'm a member of the Grant State Organizate organizing project.

And uh oh, Eric, sorry.

And I'm seeking in favor of this.

This is uh something that we desperately need, as the previous testimony stated, a lot of neighboring communities have this, and this will be a central resource for people to um transition, especially after um the limited resources we have in the city for helping people further their uh substance abuse problems, education problems, uh documentation problems.

When we went down to the Pine Street extension when there was uh before the parking ban and whatnot, we were talking with a lot of the folks on there, and uh a lot of them had significant problems just getting basic documentation, basic paperwork, um helping them transition to be able to get housing and jobs they needed social security cards and other uh government documents, and they were um really having a difficult time getting that.

Having a centralized location so that staff don't have to go and find them at various locations would be uh really a benefit to the community, and I think help reduce the homeless population in the area.

Thank you.

Other testimony in favor.

Hello, my name is Tori Markowitz, and I live at 759 Grove Street in Manchester.

And um, but I work here in Nashua as an organizer for the Grand Estate Organizing Project.

And I wanted to speak in favor of this resource center.

Um I think that um it's great how quickly that it's moved, and it's great that public health is finally getting the center that they've been asking for for years.

Um the only thing that I will say is that um the folks that I've gone to know at the warming station, um, they they also need an emergency shelter, and that's to your point, I think, Aldermoman.

Um Paula Johnson is that this building is not going to be um it can't be the last thing that we do on homelessness uh because we also desperately need an emergency emergency low barrier shelter in Ashua.

Um, so that the people, you know, the dozens of people who use the warming station can have a place to s actually sleep and store their things.

Um so I just want to make sure that this isn't the last thing that we do on homelessness and that we don't spend all of our available resources on this resource center, even though it is a good idea.

Thank you.

Other testimony in favor.

Hi, I'm Gail Wisington.

I live at 65A Amherst Road in Merrimack.

Um also here in support of the resource center, um, but to asset resources be allocated for a shelter as well for the same reasons mentioned before.

The resource center is wonderful, and I'm thrilled that there'll be some transitional housing.

Um, but I fear that it will be limited in how effective it will be if people are still lacking a place to live and stay, and housing navigation and shelter referrals um can only be so helpful if the need outweighs the resources that are there.

So just to reiterate to push for um for there to be additional resources such as shelter.

Thank you.

Other testimony in favor.

Sam Howarth Vargas, I live on Knowell Street in Nashua, and I'm in favor.

The housing crisis affects so many different people, even people who are not houseless.

So something like this, I think is essential, and it's a good start.

But I do think more needs to be done as well.

Uh I don't think it's gonna be able to house as many people that exist that don't have housing.

So I think it's a it's great, and I'm in support of it, and I think there needs to be more done as well.

Thank you.

Other testimony in favor.

Uh Audrey Holston Five Shore Drive in Nashua, and I'll just say that I'll echo a lot of what's been said already.

I think this is great.

I love that this has been something that's been in the works for a long time, and it's awesome that we have this opportunity.

Um, and I also want to acknowledge that it's not going to it's not gonna solve the problem.

It's not gonna be like, okay, we did it, um, that there is going to be additional housing and uh and shelter that is gonna be needed as well.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Other testimony in favor.

Yes, my name is Mark Siler.

I'm 168 Harris Road in Nashua.

Um I first of all want to say that I do appreciate this uh warming or this uh resource center, and I think we should build it.

It's important we need the uh pla a single place for people to go to get the services they need.

But at the same time, it's uh we are closing the warming shelter soon, as I understand it, and there certainly aren't enough beds in the city of Nashua right now for all of the people who are going to be expulsed from the warming shelter.

And so the question is what is going to happen to those people?

I think that's something that you on the board of Alderman need to deal with.

And finally, uh the long-term solution for this is actually fairly straightforward.

We need to give these people homes, places they can go, they can live permanently.

That can be done.

It's been done in other places.

Uh we need to figure out a way to make that happen.

So there's more needed here, not just this resource center.

Thank you very much.

Any other testimony in favor?

I'm over at uh I'm Kenneth who said I'm over at uh the uh chestnuts uh chestnut uh uh cafeteria warming station, you know, for what it's worth.

I just want to say that uh what uh you know Bobby Bagley is and her staff are dealing with and making this you know new uh place that they've got in mind.

I'm in favor of it.

The only thing is I'm one that basically hasn't been contacted by my own personal people for where I'm going from here on out, as far as that be the case.

So after tonight, after I have my you know last you know, night there at the uh warming station, that will be my last night and my people.

You know, I've got a s I've got a master sergeant and a staff sergeant in different organizations helping me out with getting me my veterans' qualifications for my housing as well, because I'm still basically up in the air as far as where I'm going after this, although basically, you know, probably later tonight I'll be talking with uh Bobby Bagley and others over because when I go over for my last night there, I'll probably have time enough to talk with them and find out what there is for what I need as well and what there is.

So I stay this build the place and do what needs to be done and do the right things for all the right reasons as well.

And that's why I say I'm in favor of this, but there needs to be more for the long term as well, and in my own case as well, to getting my own personal housing squared away as well, too.

I was in the tents area back uh in the day before all of this, and uh for all it's worth, maybe even basically the repeal of uh of that and as well the repeal of the uh uh trailers as well and the motor homes as well.

In fact, I got a friend of mine that's thinking of giving gifting me a motor home if I can help her, you know, k get it in condition, but she's getting a new one for what it's worth and is thinking about handing me over her old one for free just because she's getting something even better for what what it's what it's worth.

So that's what I've got going on for my own personal life as well.

I thank you very much for your time and and patience with me here at the podium as well, speaking what I have to speak with and for as well.

Thank you.

Please fund her uh her project, I ask as well for all it's worth.

Thank you very much for your time and patience with me.

And other testimony in favor.

Hi, my name is Brooke Pearley.

Um my wife owns a business at Three Bud Way in Nashua.

I'm in favor of this measure.

I think that as many have noted before me, it's not a perfect solution, but an imperfect solution is definitely better than no solution.

And I think that as Dr.

uh Director Bagley and Director Cummings noted before as well, indecisiveness has led to missed opportunities on various grants and other loan opportunities and things like that.

So I am optimistic that if we do choose to move forward with this, this could be a floodgate of additional opportunities to continue to provide more shelter at a lower barrier and to continue to provide increased housing and uh opportunities for resources to share for our unhoused community.

Thank you.

Any other testimony in favor.

Good evening, everybody.

Lou Jarrus here from 56 Hain Street uh Nashua.

So if you recall a few years ago, we had the uh the tents over at uh uh the parking area at uh Crown Street, and we we we had some hearings about that, and we had all the drama about that, and uh a lot of what was said, you know, tonight uh and what's been the in the issues that have been brought up uh because of that, and certainly because of more recently at the tents over there off of Pine Street have uh you we've got this opportunity, so we might as well take advantage of it.

And if if we're gonna be in the design phase, perhaps we can find a way to add some units to that uh that existing three-family home to turn to to make some uh some rooms there so people can stay overnight as well.

So if we've got the place, we've got the contract to buy it, maybe we can add to it or design design a uh make a design to add more units to what's existing there so we can solve what appears to be from the testimony I'm hearing is let's let's make some permanency as well.

Obviously, we need we need the uh we need the ability to to have the resources and to to direct people to uh the the appropriate help that they need and and with with with all that's been discussed, but maybe we keep that in mind as well.

I'm glad you're having this hearing tonight and uh good to be with you all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other testimony in favor.

Hi, my name is Tony Isley.

I'm um I'm a resident of Nashra over at uh Maynard Homes.

to to have the resources and to to direct people to uh the the appropriate help that they need and and with with with all that's been discussed but maybe we can keep that in mind as well I'm glad you're having this hearing tonight and uh good to be with you all thank you thank you any other testimony in favor hi my name is Tony and Isley I'm um I'm a resident of Nashra over at uh mainard homes we're actually under construction too because of the housing crisis um I just wanted to voice uh my favor of this I've been a part of the community for a long time I've done a lot of work at the soup kitchen with a um I had a housing clinic there and I helped a lot of people get paperwork and get assistance with different um housing rentals because it was during the the um the ARPA money this would be a huge opportunity I know it's gonna be an expense to the city and I do know that the three families that are there are gonna have to be displaced but I'm hoping that they will have an opportunity to get something better than being near downtown because it is a lower income so they might actually have an opportunity to get something better but um the human beings that are going to be going to the resource center a lot of them need that permanent supportive um agencies that are going to be there as permanent residents in as the resource center and even if we can't have the overnight um the overnights like I would like and I know most of the people here would like at least if we get some transitional housing we'll at least be able to start getting it started to help those per people get closer to permanent housing for themselves.

So again I'm just I'm in support and I hope this is not the end we definitely do not need to stop here because we're going to need to find whatever grant money and whatever money we can to get low barrier overnight housing because this is only gonna help a few individuals and we still will have 50 plus individuals that will still need a place to stay thank you.

Any other testimony in favor Bob Keating uh five uh Coburn Woods uh drive uh I appreciate the uh well public health department over years now uh um moving to have a more comprehensive uh facility having said that um I have concerns that have been uh expressed uh you know first that there's uh tenants in the building and so there's a dislocation uh of uh of uh them and and uh you know what cost uh you know that will be uh it also is the is the issue that uh Waldeman uh Johnson raised which is um how many how many units and I think that's critical uh because this place is less than three thousand square feet contrast the soup kitchen is uh um of I think uh uh twenty thousand uh square feet so three thousand square feet right now there's five bedrooms four uh four bathrooms you can't deal with the numbers that we're talking about um you're just looking at the the cafeteria at Elm Street uh I don't know the exact dimensions but I know that they could serve 300 people at a time in the in the cafeteria so I'm very much concerned as other people have said that when we're thinking now and this is the first time I've heard that figure of 4.5 million dollars uh that 4.5 million dollars if looking at what the potential numbers here uh I just don't think we get the return uh you know uh on that and uh uh so looking at if that building was purchased uh to look at it in somewhat of a different way because 4.5 million dollars can generate so much more housing for a hundred thousand dollars you can uh even at sixteen hundred dollars uh a month you can have six units and at eight hundred uh you can have um sixteen uh units so I think looking at as um I mean what can be done to maximize the number of people that can be served 360,000 is what the cost would be at currently uh to have the warming station open all year long um so that's and we could serve even more than 50 and 60 people and you've heard the other figures and permanent housing so I so that there's a long thought here that we just cannot with four million dollars do what we need to do if we broaden it uh you know beyond here so that's that's what the that's what the uh uh the benefits uh and uh the uh the concerns how do we get the maximized return on the amount of monies that we're going to uh to use here so thank you any other testimony in favor hello good evening um members of the board and thank you for letting me uh speak tonight I appreciate it my name is Annabelle Bonner I live at two mic sorry my name is Annabelle Bonner and I live at two New Haven drive about

So thank you.

Any other testimony in favor?

Hello, good evening, um members of the board, and thank you for letting me uh speak tonight.

I appreciate it.

My name is Annabelle Bonner.

I live at two.

Sorry.

My name is Annabelle Bonner, and I live at two New Haven Drive, apartment 203 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

I am the founder of Bellows Home for Hope, which is a new nonprofit organization and Foundations for Fathers and Families.

Um here to say that I am in favor of the resource center.

I think and I appreciate what the city is doing and working on a long-term solution by purchasing the building and developing a resource center for the people that are in need.

Um this is an important and necessary step forward, but my concern, and I believe the concern of many others is what's going to happen in the gap.

Um there's a lot of people there that rely on the warming station.

From everything that's been shared publicly, there is no guaranteed plan for the individuals who are currently relying on this resource.

This is not a small number of individuals, and their needs should not be optional.

Many local shelters are already at or near capacity, which means there are very few, if any, viable alternatives.

Um closing the warming station doesn't mean that the need has ended.

It simply means that the responsibility has shifted, often in ways that will be more difficult for the individual and the community as a whole.

Without something guaranteed for these individuals, we are effectively leaving these vulnerable vulnerable members of our community to navigate that gap on their own.

The ones that rely on this space tonight will still be here tomorrow, and they will remember whether the commun community they are a part of made room for them in a responsible and humane way or turn them away.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else in testimony in favor seeing no one testimony in opposition laurie Ordolano?

Um I support the resource center.

It's a commitment we we made and it's something we have to do.

I'm really concerned about the return on investment and what's been proposed here.

I mean, tonight was the first night I heard the 4.5 million.

I printed the property card.

We're looking at essentially a two-story facility with 1475 square feet on each floor.

And um how many and and you're looking at a building that's 160 years old.

I live in an old house and I know the upkeep of an old house, and it's constant.

Uh that's one of the things my younger neighbors say they constantly are putting money into their old houses.

And I I really think if you're going to zone for commercial, um, listening to everything here, I wish the um group would take a close look at commercial properties that are available single floor.

You know, you've got the whole ADA issue, you got a three-story building, the concept of an elevator.

Uh I don't really like.

And the cost is high and the maintenance is high and the usage is high.

It's it also would eat a good bit of space in your building.

Um, you know, that's there's that's a money pet in my opinion.

How many how many people are supposed to be in that resource center?

What is the capacity that you're trying to put in there once it's all configured?

You know, it they said we talked about the if we build it, they'll come, and they said, well, that won't really be an issue because all these other places have them.

I wonder if they gain I wonder, first of all, did the group gather data of all these other surrounding resource centers that exist and what's the square footage?

This is like a micro home for what we're trying to do.

And I think the 4.05 is like a micro home.

What I liked that I heard is the idea of taking the two um rooms, classrooms, or the two trailers and putting them on the parking lot as a temporary solution.

The square footage is about the same.

It's one floor.

It's not going to solve the problem, but it buys them time, even at 1.5 million.

It's a heck of a lot better than 4.5 million, and it would serve the role of a warming station.

And it would buy you the time to go do the research and look at potential commercial facilities.

And the other thing is I want to address, and I haven't seen any downtown businesses here or the police weighing in, but we've taken a position to do all our consolidated resources for those most in the downtown directly.

Is this our goal?

Is this our plan?

Because at one point I remember Ben Clemens saying, Hey, I don't want this to be the plan.

When Bronsteen Development was being developed, and we took out 46 units, and then all of a sudden 250 went up.

He was opposed to that.

He was concerned about that.

He said, Hey, I thought we were going to split these developments into different parts of the city.

Why does it all have to be downtown?

And is that ultimately what we want?

I don't know the answer to that.

I don't know if that's ultimately what you want.

But I think it's a question that ought to be asked.

And I really would be interested to hear how everyone feels downtown about this plan.

I you know, I'm just mind-boggled by the the cost.

And I know it was said on Thursday night on the 9th or whatever night you had your meeting that there were some commercial properties looked at.

Do you know what commercial properties were looked at?

And the question asked about how long has this been in the works?

2024, we put it in Capital Projects.

Truth of the matter, this thing has been the issue in works, in my opinion, starting January of 2026, when they had to seriously look for place.

Because the commitment was made here over the December issue that became a fire storm over what was happening with Mines Falls and South Cellar Drive and all these places where we had issues.

And um, you know, you had to have the warming station.

Totally agree with that.

How many people came to the warming station?

Does anyone know how many people access the warming station?

Nobody knows?

Yes.

Of course we do.

Okay, what did do you know what the number is?

Director Bagley, you want to answer that.

She probably missed it in one of the meetings we had.

Uh division of public health and community services.

We've had over 200 uh new uh individual contacts or people come into the warming station just this year.

Um and these are unduplicated numbers.

So usually what happens is you'll have some folks that'll come in, you have a consistent number of folks that are there regularly from the time we opened.

Um, and then there are some numbers, the folks that'll come in they'll stay for a short while, some are there maybe once, twice.

Um, but we've had over 200 folks that have been there since December 1st when we opened.

Is that what what would be the average daily capacity?

We've had anywhere from uh 45 up to 52.

All right.

So even if you look at using transitional housing in there and having housing units, which it seems to me you can't get very many in there, and I'm not certain the property looks like a property that's going to expand for other apartments.

Um and I'm not certain I love the idea of multiple floor.

But 50 people, you know, is is a lot in a in a house that's all of three thousand square feet.

And I'm just concerned when you rip into it, it's going to be more than the 4.5 million.

Um, you know, um, yeah, I think the I think we're putting the cart before the horse, and we've done this before.

We've done this before with buildings that we bought in like Burke Street, and we said, Oh, we're gonna buy it, it's gonna become the next DPW.

It didn't happen.

And we ended up selling it for a loss because we rushed to buy it, didn't do the research, and it really didn't work.

And um so I I'd like to see the brakes pumped.

I'd like to see the parking lot used in something temporarily set up at a lower cost, and then get into taking a really good look at um commercially available properties.

There is a lot of available commercial property.

It's out there.

That's the one area that hasn't done well.

Residential homes are difficult to find in the shortages there, but we've had this assessment difference where um residential properties are carrying the tax load over commercial because we don't have the distribution we want, because there's more commercial properties undervalued and they continue to be undervalued.

So I think that you might do well looking at that in a single floor option where the ADA compliance issues become easier.

It's very easy to find and potentially believe you could find a um commercial building that would already be sprinklered, and you wouldn't have to do that in a 160-year-old building that's three stories.

Um you know, I listened, I I listened to the meeting the on the on the ninth, and I missed it.

I listened about the mayor say we would need you know substantial renovations.

But if I went by and I looked at the roof, the roof is only 10 years old, but boy, parts of it are in really rough shape.

Um, and it's a complex roof.

I'm sure it's not a cheap roof to replace, given all of the angles of that almost Victorian style of structure.

Um I know the fire marshal did a walkthrough.

Did they do any kind of report or give you any kind of report on that property and give you any kind of capacity load on what you could put in there?

Um, you you have to do something, I agree.

And I think getting the warming station going this winter and using Elm Street was a great idea, and it was well worth it, and it was obviously well utilized.

And I think you have to continue for solutions.

But I think you have to think a little more about how you're going to accomplish that solution, let the numbers develop a little.

And I think the temporary solution is a better one right now until you figure out more space, more transitional housing, that kind of stuff.

Thank you.

Anyone else in opposition?

Seeing none, once again, testimony in favor.

Seeing no one, once again, testimony in opposition.

Seeing no one, I'll close the public hearing on resolution R26020 at 801 p.m.

Alderman O'Brien, do you have a motion for us?

Yes, I do.

I'd like to make a motion to uh adjourn.

The motion is to adjourn.

We'll have to do it by roll calls.

Uh Alderman Clee.

Yes.

Uh Alderman T Rosey, yes.

Alderman O'Brien.

Yes.

Alderman Greg?

Yes.

Alderman Dow?

Yes.

Uh Alderman Senate.

Yes.

Alderman Johnson?

Yes.

Alderman Kelly?

Yes.

Alderman Morgan.

Yes.

Alderman Lopez.

Yes.

And President Wilshir.

Yes.

We are one, two.

11.

Yeses, we are adjourned.

We're adjourned at 8.02 p.m.

We'll have five-minute break and then we'll start the joint meeting of budget and PEDC.