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City Manager's Report 6/4/2007

New Web Site

The City's new web site has been up and running for about a month now. More and more materials and City information are being posted to it. Citizens as well as the Mayor and Council, members of Boards and Commissions and staff now have ready access to the Charter and City Code on line. Minutes of meetings and agendas of future meetings and events are being regularly posted. Over time, this vehicle should be more and more interactive to make City services more and more available on line.

AVER Annual Dinner

The AVER Annual Dinner is scheduled for Thursday June 14, 2007 at the White Mountain Chalet. Katie Paine is the guest speaker, and award presentations for the Citizen of the Year and Small Business of the Year will be made. The social hour starts at 5:30 and dinner is served at 6:3pm. People interested in attending should RSVP by Friday June 8th to the United Way of Northern StateNH at 752-3343 or unitdway@ncia.net.

Prison Site Water Quality Certification

For anyone who would like to see it, attached is a copy of the actual Water Quality Certification provided by NHDES to the BOP. This is what most of us think of as the wetlands permit which was necessary for the project to proceed.

BHS Home Building Open House

Attached is an Open House invitation to the latest house which was built by the Building Trades Program at the High School. This will be on June 5, 2007 from 4 to 7pm at 24 Tamarack Lane in Berlin. It is the home of Ann Morin.

Legislative Items

  • Fine Filter requirements

Trails Bureau Chief Chris Gamache indicates that the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee chaired by Judith Spang will vote on her amendment this Wednesday. The part of the amendment he is not happy with is that it gives Fish and Game equal authority on this park property which it does not have anywhere else in the State. It may still be possible to delete that item as the GivenNameBill is worked through a Committee of Conference with the Senate.

  • SB 88 on Collective Bargaining

An amendment of this Bill which the Mayor and Council as well as the LGC have strongly opposed has passed the House Labor Committee by a vote of 10-7 and is headed to a House vote some time this week. Without a strong push in opposition it appears likely to pass. The Bill cuts in half the already extremely low threshold for creating a bargaining unit from 10 to 5, makes safety items a mandatory subject of bargaining, and provides an evergreen clause which goes further than the existing evergreen situation which provides for the status quo when a contract expires without a new contract ready to replace it.

  • HB143 on Apportionment of Damages

This is a bill strongly opposed by the Mayor and Council that would have allowed municipalities to be on the hook for all the liability in an incident in which it had minimal responsibility. The Senate, in spite of a close split there, and strong lobbying by the trial lawyers, voted 15-8 to table the bill. The LGC feels that the lobbying will continue and that a change in position of even one Senator could bring this bill off the table and back to life.

 

June Home Ownership Project

Since June is National Home Ownership Month, on Thursday June 21st, USDA Rural Development State Director for New Hampshire and Vermont will present the City with a check representing funds that USDA has committed to Berlin in recent years. This will occur at 417 Derrah Street in Berlin. Anyone who would like to attend should RSVP to Janis Gingras at 752-1328 or janice.gingras@nh.usda.gov. TCC, HUD and RD staff has been making repairs to the home of the veteran who lives at this address.

Brownfields Turn Down

Our most recent attempt to apply for and receive Brownfields funding for the Notre Dame Building did not make as it was competing against over 800 other applications. About 290 projects were chosen for funding. Needless to say we will be reapplying in the next round which the USEPA has encouraged us to do.

Mesh Network Project Weather Tower

The installation work for this project is now out to bid. Since most of the equipment is already in the possession of the Police Department, the bid work consists mostly of installing the roughly 30 antennae at various locations around the City. About 12 new poles will be installed by PSNH as part of the work. The GivenNameFraser weather tower is being surveyed so that the proper easements can be accepted by the City. Application to the FAA has been made relative to certifying the tower with them and the FCC.

Manager's Timekeeping

Attached