FOCUS - Friends of Concord / United South End

Meeting Notes, Feb 5, 2003

Feb 11, 2003

FOCUS
Meeting Notes
Wednesday, February 05, 2003
7:00 ?– 8:30 p.m.


Present: Mike Tardiff, Eric Halter, Debra Samaha, Candace Bouchard, Carol Hargrove, Heidi Douglas, Lauren Flieder, Gregory Banks, Steve Finch, Randy Raymond, Judy Dickinson, and Amy Currie.

Tardiff welcomed guests

Members from Rumford neighborhood (Abbott Downing) were present. They noted that city workers are not used to being engaged by the community. The group agreed that progress is being made, but that it takes small steps to get there. Rumford School will be first neighborhood in Concord to get traffic calming devices.

Debra Samaha, of Concord Hospital and Safe Community Coalition addressed FOCUS. She noted that the group has been meeting for a few years with funding from highway safety agency. Its concept is to look at community and find injury issues. She reported that traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatal injury in the state. She explained that grass roots efforts have brought our coalition to the point it is at now. Concord Police are involved by monitoring speeds in school zones: Conant, Broken Ground, and Dame School, and police found people were speeding in school zones and putting child pedestrians at risk. 20/20 funded a walking video done by Concord School Children ?– why they want to walk, how to walk safely. Every year in Concord, approximately 7 kids are hit. Shared map.
Safe Community Coalition is trying to connect with groups in the city around the traffic issues. One way to get people?’s attention in NH is to talk to them about their kids. Roger Hawk and Amy Sheridan have discussed getting money to hire a consultant to study problem with child pedestrian safety around schools. NH Safe Kids gave a grant to do a community wide pedestrian task force. Next meeting is March 14 at 12:30 at the Center for Health Promotion, 8 Loudon Rd.

Candace Bouchard, Voice of the Heights, noted that the group had started 4 years ago. The group was careful not to make it an ?“us against them?” neighborhood group, by creating a diverse mix including businesses and different income levels. The group made it clear that they were not trying to make it difficult to get to stores, but make it safe to be there. It started with simple things like getting sidewalks plowed. When people saw that the group was not trying to alienate anyone, its membership grew. It was not until the child walking to school was hit that the city actually saw that the road was a problem.

Bouchard noted that a study will be done on the community center that is in disrepair. Hazen and Loudon Rd will be re-landscaped. The hard thing is keeping people connected. The Heights has close to 500 accidents in a year. Most accidents are between Canterbury Rd and the Mall, and a significant amount of accidents happen in front of Dunkin Donuts. Discussion ensued concerning proposed configuration for Loudon Rd. It was noted that Portsmouth has many neighborhood groups they all meet together regularly.

Discussions turned to FOCUS. Because of city?’s timing for improvement of streets on South End, we might be advocating for changes before your group has done its studies. We have a short timeframe. It was suggested that someone from the Heights group should be coming here every week. If these improvements are successful, they could create precedent.

Discussion ensued regarding the school drop off area at Rundlett and Conant schools. The proposed design does not go far enough. This is only one piece of the picture. On-site on school work can be separated from city section, and work could be done on the Bow Street side first. It was agreed that a safe drop off area for Conant and Rundlett would take more that a few bump outs. Debbie Samaha offered to help however she could. It was noted that school district participation is important. It was relayed that Chris Rath, of the Concord School District, has said she would be supportive of giving up some staff time, but cannot give any money at this time. City Council and School board are independent and autonomous, but FOCUS will be asking them to work together in new ways. Where does Focus go? Do we use your connection with Chris Rath? Currently city has no one person to handle school pedestrian safety. Neither the school nor the city has a logical role to deal with this.

HOT SPOTS

FOCUS has been talking for the last moth about hot spots: cross walks or specific streets that merit priority. This will help narrow the charrette meeting, which is tentatively set for March 22. The group nominated the following as hot spots:

?• Allison and Broadway: road is four lanes worth of road only safe for two lanes of traffic, people are turning and pulling around one another. It is a route to school.
?• Allison and South Main.
?• Conant School
?• Behind Rudnlett and Conant schools need for a sidewalk up to Springfield St.
?• South and Conant: backed up. Will be affected by traffic calming
?• West Street: entire length. If two way proposed to be right in right out. McKee square needs to be resolved. West street should be beautified would feel more residential. Bleakness is the problem.
?• Ordway?’s Market Cut Through
?• Rockingham and Broadway
?• South Main Street need for sidewalks. Preserve the street trees. (McKinley to Broadway
?• Clinton Street, South Fruit out
?• Crooked Corners ?– West Street Extension
?• Spring to Clinton to get
?• All of Broadway (emphasis on Park)
?• Pillsbury South Main and Broadway
?• Lack of sidewalks on Broadway and Alison.
?• Lack of sidewalks in front of Rollins park.
?• West to Rite Aid South St.
?• Pillsbury entirety
?• Allison St.
?• Rockingham St.


Next Meeting to be held on Wednesday, 2/12/03, 7:00 at 72 No Main St.