A PILOT PROGRAM to keep downtown areas of the Queen City clean is in the works.
The initiative by the Manchester Economic Development Office will “significantly enhance public health and safety in the downtown and Millyard areas of the Central Business Service District (CBSD),” according to a memo to aldermen from Jodie Nazaka, the office’s director.
MEDO is preparing to solicit bids from qualified contractors for the 12-month cleaning, maintenance, safety, and hospitality services pilot program.
A specialized “Street Team” will deploy downtown, offering professional cleaning, maintenance, safety and hospitality services. Key activities will include:
• Litter collection using pans and brooms to ensure high visibility;
• Thorough cleaning of trash cans and public seating areas;
• Pressure-washing to deep-clean sidewalks and remove graffiti;
• Painting and upkeep of street fixtures (including the removal of stickers and signs) and minor landscaping;
• Managing snow removal to maintain “accessible and safe public rights-of-way” in the Central Business Service District.
Hospitality services are also part of the effort, with team members trained to offer “a friendly presence, provide directions, and share information about local attractions,” Nazaka wrote.
The pilot program will be funded by the Central Business Service District’s special tax assessment and allocations from the American Rescue Plan Act. The goal is to improve the “quality of life in the CBSD while boosting the city’s attractiveness and economic prosperity,” the memo states.
The CBSD, established more than 35 years ago, has traditionally funded items like management, events, cleaning, marketing, and economic development efforts through property tax levies on commercial properties.
Since Intown Manchester dissolved in 2022, the economic development office has managed the funds and activities.
Recent input from the community has indicated a “strong need” for enhanced cleaning, maintenance and beautification services, Nazaka wrote, leading to the development of the pilot program.
“The future of this program, including potential renewal or extension of the contract, will depend on its success and may require adjustments to the CBSD’s special tax assessment for ongoing Funding,” Nazaka wrote.
“The pilot program is designed as proof of concept, demonstrating the positive impact of expanded services in the downtown and Historic Millyard areas, contributing to their revitalization as economic and community activity centers.”
The program has the backing of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the Manchester Development Corporation as it “directly contributes to creating a vibrant, attractive, and welcoming environment for both businesses and consumers,” Nazaka wrote.
In a memo dated March 11, city deputy public works director Owen Friend-Gray says the program has his department’s support as well.
“Beyond the increased services and response times, the services being provided by this outside vendor would reduce the burden on our already over-extended city forces,” Friend-Gray wrote. “We have extra trash collection crews, intense sweeping operations, and a dedicated response team (DART) that spend a higher percentage of their time in this area than anywhere else in the city.
“These services could free up our staff to focus more on their specific requirements and needs throughout the city and potentially provide either improved services or reductions in labor that would benefit the city monetarily.”
New sports committee
A new aldermanic committee will make its debut on Tuesday — the Special Committee on Youth Sports.
It’s the brainchild of Ward 1 Alderman Chris Morgan, CEO of Manchester Youth Sports and founder of the Manchester Basketball League.
Morgan serves as chairman. Aldermen Dan Goonan, Dan O’Neil, Norm Vincent and Kelly Thomas round out the roster.
Morgan said the top reason he ran for alderman was to make changes in how the city engages in youth sports.
“I am excited for this committee to showcase the great leagues we have and to put together a plan to better support them and create a path for more kids to participate,” Morgan said. “Youth sports has not been a priority for the city over the past 15-plus years.”
Morgan said the goal of the committee is to “shine a light on how we can better serve the youth” by offering more opportunities.
Morgan said that work will include the creation of a new Manchester Youth Sports Association as the place for all parents to go to register their kids to play sports, “similar to what other surrounding towns have been doing successfully for years.”
“My goal is to work to support all current leagues, create new leagues and offer more opportunity at a no-to-low cost for kids to play sports.”
The agenda for the committee’s first meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall includes:
• A discussion on the current state of youth sports in Manchester and the possibility of creating a Manchester Youth Sports Association;
• A presentation by Christine Telge, the Manchester school district’s athletic director, on the impact of youth sports on school sports;
• An overview of the relationship between Parks & Recreation and youth sports;
• A report on the condition and use of athletic fields by Mark Gomez, the city’s chief of Parks, Recreation and Cemetery.
Also, Mayor Jay Ruais will hold a Ward 3 Town Hall on Thursday, March 21 at the Carol Rines Center, 1528 Elm Street, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The alderman and school board members representing Ward 3 have been invited.
Parking fees to rise
A proposal to raise the parking rates and fines in Manchester is expected to receive final approval by the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen on March 19, after getting the greenlight from members of the aldermanic Committee on Public Health, Safety and Traffic earlier this month.
Currently, Manchester parking meters charge 75 cents an hour, bringing in $1.13 million a year in revenue. Fines for meter violations are $10, depositing about another $175,000 a year in city coffers.
Increasing the current hourly parking rate of 75 cents an hour to $1 would generate approximately $283,000 in new revenue, city officials predict, while increasing the “No Pay & Display” and “Expired Meter” parking violation fines from $10 to $15 would boost revenues by $87,125.
Seal of approval
Aldermen have given their collective blessing to the NextGen Manchester Resiliency Council to use the Manchester city seal on marketing and related materials in connection to workforce development initiatives supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge award granted to the city.
NextGen is a non-profit overseeing collaborative projects within the Southern New Hampshire Biofabrication Cluster, including the Biofabrication Work & Learn Program, aimed at bolstering biofabrication education and skills training locally.
NextGen plans to display the city seal on its website (www.nextgenmanchester.org), and the University of New Hampshire at Manchester plans to use it on marketing and curriculum materials for two programs: the STEM-MoBILE Biofabrication Integrated Lab Experience and Manchester CREATES.
The STEM-MoBILE is a mobile laboratory that delivers educational programming on biofabrication and regenerative medicine in communities throughout the state. Manchester CREATES promotes education and career opportunities in regenerative medicine and biofabrication through educational programs for middle and high school students.
