If any Nashua residents still think that our mayor and/or our Board of Aldermen care about our money, they are wrong. Last year while residents were locked down in this pandemic, the mayor was renovating City Hall to make it COVID compliance.
The mayor and the Board of Aldermen told residents that they needed to re-do the Aldermanic Chamber at a cost of $134,000 and passed a resolution in that amount. Surprise, the total cost to re-do the Aldermanic Chamber was $217,429.57. That is an increase of 62.26% but do not forget that money is no object because it is the Nashua taxpayer’s money.
The saddest part is that this chamber has been closed to the Nashua residents for over 17 months. Did the renovations make the chamber COVID compliant, no. No plastic shields between Board members. The President of the Board, in their elevated seat of authority, casts their eyes down on their fellow board members. But where is the public? We are not allowed in the chamber. We must stay with zoom calls.
On the other hand, look at some of the other city renovated office spaces. The customer service area of the Assessing office has been shrunk to about 8 sq. ft of counter space (used to be about 45 sq. ft.) with, what appears to be, 2″ thick bulletproof shielding. Is that what it takes to stop COVID? Apparently, those making the renovation decisions have never seen customers interact with city staff, with their various drawings, papers, property record files, and data?
I hope all Nashua residents remember this in the next election.
