Citizen participation in their local government depends on the goodwill of those serving. Laws exist that permit citizens access to meetings and records, but without the goodwill of those serving to provide access and records, it all falls apart.
Nashua’s officials lack the goodwill expected of public servants. The City is undergoing a major expansion and redevelopment effort of our Downtown. Many of these high-cost projects are not open to public participation. Public records of meetings and minutes are not maintained and provided to the public per the law. Tracking what is really going on is nearly impossible and extraordinarily frustrating. One such project is the Nashua Performing Arts Center (NPAC).
The secrecy surrounding this project is so high that the Corporate Attorneys Bolton and Leonard and Economic Development Director Tim Cummings are not willing to state whether the NPAC joint committee or the three corporations that comprise the joint committee are public entities. More to come on this.
The secrecy surrounding this project is so high that the Board of Aldermen did not identify this committee on the city website. The Board approved 2 of the Corporate entities that make up this joint committee through Omnibus Resolution O-20-094. They appear to be public entities, but the City will not confirm this.
The secrecy surrounding this project is so high that minutes and agendas have not been posted on the City website. Citizens had no way of knowing that this joint entity even existed.
The secrecy surrounding this project is so high that the project costs are being withheld from the public. There is no publicly available history of the change orders approved for the construction of this downtown facility. This $25 million dollar project is heading for cost increases. But that too, is shrouded in secrecy.
The secrecy surrounding this project is so high that the meeting minutes recorded by the Board do not meet the requirements of the law. These legal requirements are minimal. It is inexcusable to not record the motions of the Board and provide a brief explanation of the items discussed. A review of the May 9, 2022 meeting minutes shows that the Board provided no update on the financial and construction project. How could the board skip these major agenda items? The meeting has no motion to adjourn. Did the meeting last 5 minutes or 2 hours?
I don’t want to pay any more of my money for secret projects that are supposed to be public. How much more do you want to pay?
