City Hall: Goffstown project could impact city neighborhood; health department recognized
Feb. 7—Residents of a quiet Queen City neighborhood near Mount Calvary Cemetery may want to keep an eye on a meeting at Goffstown Town Hall this week.
For those unaware, a public hearing will be held Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at Goffstown Town Hall 16 Main St., in the Mildred Stark Room (106).
The Dubay Group Inc. and Allard Revocable Trust are seeking a variance to subdivide a property for the purposes of building single-family homes within the Industrial Zone, which is not permitted per Section 3.11 of the Goffstown Zoning Ordinance.
The reason Manchester residents might want to pay attention is the property is located off Riverview Park Road, on the border between the city and Goffstown.
Access to the proposed subdivision would be off of Phillip Street and Joseph Street Extension — streets located in the Queen City — creating a cut-through in what has historically been a very quiet Manchester neighborhood off Goffstown Road.
Something to be aware of for readers who live in the area.
Health Department honored
The Manchester Health Department has been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for the ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies.
Manchester has demonstrated the capabilities by meeting preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a partnership between CDC and NACCHO.
MHD is now among 550 local health departments across the country recognized for excellence in preparedness through PPHR, either individually or as part of a region, and becomes the first local health department in northern New England to earn the recognition.
"We are proud to have been recognized by Project Public Health Ready for our high level of preparedness," Anna Thomas, the city's public health director, said in a statement. "We will continue to improve our ability to quickly and effectively respond to any public health crisis in and around Manchester."
Mayor Jay Ruais said the honor is "exceedingly well-deserved."
PPHR recognition indicates the department being honored has a "thorough and coordinated emergency response plan in place" and staff have the training to protect the health of the community during an emergency.
Officials say MHD's training and abilities were "clearly demonstrated" through the department's leadership during the COVID-19 public health emergency where they provided critical support to community partners in both the public and private sectors in and nearby Manchester.
"Public health preparedness planning, response, and recovery begins at the local level. Local health departments play an essential role in creating healthy, resilient communities that can respond to and recover from disasters." said Lori T. Freeman, NACCHO Chief Executive Officer. "NACCHO commends the City of Manchester Health Department for being a model of public health emergency preparedness."
Ruais's new paternity
Mayor Ruais was emotional at the Feb. 4 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting talking about the support he and his wife, Veronica, have received following the recent birth of their first child, Brielle, at Elliot Hospital, thanking their doctors and nurses for helping his wife and daughter.
"We were there for about a week, starting last Monday, and the care that they gave us was nothing short of heroic," Ruais said. "And I want to thank the doctors and nurses, and I want to thank everybody that reached out to congratulate us, offer their prayers, offer their support. It was incredibly heartwarming to myself and to Veronica, who sometimes only sees us getting beat up in here, so she was thrilled with the outpouring of support. I want to thank all of you who reached out, and everybody in the city who did as well.
"And most importantly to my wife, Veronica, she's been an absolute rock. She's been amazing throughout this entire last week, throughout her entire pregnancy, her beauty inside is only outpaced by her strength and her resilience. I think she's watching right now in the hospital with Brielle, so thank you so much. I love you."
Congratulations go out from this space to the Ruais family. Enjoy every minute with your daughter, mayor — they grow up so fast.
Skate your purpose
Anyone looking to share their thoughts, provide feedback, and collaborate with planners and designers as they work to finalize the plans for the Wolfe Park skate park, the final opportunity to do so will take place Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. at the William B. Cashin Senior Activity Center.
Everyone in the community is welcome, whether a skater or simply interested in the development of Wolfe Park.
Town hall rescheduled
The Ward 11 town hall with Mayor Ruais originally scheduled for Feb. 6 was rescheduled due to Thursday's snowstorm.
The event will now take place Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 6-7 p.m. at Gossler Park Elementary School, 145 Park Side Ave.
Ward 11 Alderman Norm Vincent and school board member Liz O'Neil have been invited to participate.
Five-year plan
The city is updating its 5-Year Consolidated Plan for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding, and encouraging residents to get involved by attending one of three public hearings on the topic next month or complete a brief survey.
"Over the next 5 years, the city anticipates receiving an annual average of $2.5 million from HUD in the form of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Program, and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program funds," Mayor Ruais said in a statement. "This funding is important so we welcome public input on the issue."
City officials are hosting three public hearings on the topic:
—Tuesday, Feb. 11, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Carol M. Rines Center, 1528 Elm St.
—Wednesday, Feb. 12, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Manchester Community Resource Center, 434 Lake Ave. (4th floor).
—Thursday, Feb. 13, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Elmwood Gardens Community Center, 83 Trahan St.
Topics to be discussed include healthy neighborhoods, economic development, home ownership and affordable housing development, addressing homelessness, health and human services, recreational opportunities and infrastructure improvements.
Refreshments will be served and there will be activities for children, officials said.
"The creation of a new Consolidated Plan is a great opportunity for the people of Manchester to weigh in on how federal entitlement dollars should be spent in the city," Jeff Belanger, director for the Department of Planning and Community Development, said in a statement. "Anyone with an interest in topics like social services, housing, infrastructure, or economic development should feel free to attend a public hearing or take the survey."
Residents are asked to participate in a community survey available online at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SPHF85F
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