Live public comment from the Jan. 21, 2025 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting

The following is public comment at the Jan. 21, 2025 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, transcribed as it happens as closely as possible to what is said. Please email Andrew Sylvia at andy@manchesterinklink.com for any name misspellings.

6:59 p.m. – The meeting is about to begin. I would estimate there about 125 people here.

7:04 p.m. – Hannah Kesselring: (asks if the microphone is not working, it is not, mayor says she can use her outdoor voice) – I am from Ward 12 and I have been coming to meetings for awhile, we need to be asking how we can help kids like me…..when we invest in kids, we invest in a better future.

7:06 p.m. – Gavin Telfer: I live in Ward 3. I support completion of Phase 1 of facilities plan, specifically the land swap for Beech Street school. I have been following this, spoke six weeks ago where I said education is a public good and its well past time to invest in our public schools. Issues such as park space, no new taxes, etc. have been addressed. Not dealing with this now would harm our students. I don’t believe any of our elected officials want to harm our students, so it’s time to do the right thing and invest in our schools.

7:08 p.m. – Sarah Levins: Vice principal of Beech Street, former principal at Wilson. Please support going forward with agreement for new Beech Street School. We celebrated vote last year, even though it was bitter sweet. Hopefully tonight shows that a 21st Century learning environment is not out of reach. Please don’t discount our community. Even though not everyone shows up at these board meetings, their voices are being heard loud and clear in support of our students.

7:10 p.m. – Erin Kerwin: I am here to ask to vote yes on Item 36 (Beech Street/Emmet-Sheridan) use money from bonds. Renovation would cost more than reconstruction. Details in FAQ in packet show that park space will be improved, there is no increase of property taxes. Concerns over EFA bill in Concord, could cost $100 million to public schools but subsidizing wealthy families. Beech Street plan has been well thought out.

7:13 p.m. – Lou D’Allesandro: I look at the sign before me saying speak loudly, that the microphone is not working. That has never been the case in not speaking loud enough. I speak positively about Beech Street Elementary School. I’ve been a resident of Manchester for past 60 years…. what benefits the public is of maximum importance to the growth of our city, state and our country and education is essential. I participated in kindergarten acquisition at Bakersville while on School Board, people rebelled for a time. I participated in acquisition of Parkside. Many of you have sent children to Manchester schools. This project is financially sound. The money has been allocated and the school district can handle the debt. What will be provided is an enhancement of to the children of our city…. I want available to my children what was available to me. …. This is important to the children of our city who are the future of our city and the future of our state.

7:17 p.m. – Julie Turner: Ward 1, 285 Ray St. – here to ask you to vote yes on Item 36. We community leaders, business leaders, school district leaders have been looking for a path forward so this long overdue project can continue. I hope the FAQ helps you (Alderman Levasseur asks if Turner can speak into the microphone for the television broadcast, even though it is not working for the people in the room). To the mayor regarding press release today, I hope working for the city’s students is a bipartisan subject….. the school district has been working hard to improve, but we must continue to improve facilities. I hope that the Board of Aldermen and the Board of School Committee can work together… we can not afford to do nothing. Consolidation of Beech and Wilson schools will help local families…. it is way past time to invest in our facilities and our families.

7:20 p.m. – Jessica Susan: Ward 9 landlord, I am asking you to vote no on Beech Street vote. Voting no is not a vote against children, we are just in a difficult financial environment…let’s keep Manchester as an affordable place to live

7:22 p.m. – Chris Potter: Some have said that there are many things that impact a child’s education…. facilities is another area that impacts education. …. by building a new school, not a renovation, we can maximize things and improve performance. Renovation is disruptive to students, not as efficient. We need this new school for a hundred years, we don’t want a 1970s school in 2120. We also would not get the reduced operational costs of a new school. This will impact generations of students.

7:24 p.m. – David Todisco: Me and my partner bought a house in Manchester this summer because we believe that Manchester will be the best mid-sized city in the country. This school plan is a sound plan, I want to add my support and I wanted to add my voice from the demographic of young people who want to live here and stay here. Sometimes with my peers, the issue of schools come up regarding whether to move, and we urge them to stay here and that these schools are a big part of that.

7:26 p.m. – Bryce Kaw-uh:

7:29 p.m. – Ken Tassey: (submits handout to city clerk for Aldermen): Resident of Ward 6. I am concerned about Item 36. My concern is that this is a one-side approach to this capital project and will have negative impacts for decades to come….. While our student enrollment has declined and according to New Hampshire Department of Education, 49 percent of our students are not proficient in reading, 56 percent are not proficient in math and 70 percent are not proficient in science…. success requires compromise…. let’s roll back the bond…there is no one in this room that doesn’t want better schools for our kids…let’s first improve proficiency and attract enrollment per year…… there is legislation in Concord that would change bond rules, that will likely come in February.

7:33 p.m. – Steve Kesselring: I emailed you all, I could not find information about Beech Street school construction company. I am not asking anyone to vote a certain way. I am curious about why money for parks went from $4.2 million to $1.1 million. I am curious about aid formula from state, I assume taxes will go up in the next few years. I am a State Rep and I have done a ton of research. Construct costs do not involve the commissary, and that is $5 million. Currently, you don’t really know what the cost is (of the entire project). There is a lawsuit against company regarding company with modular classrooms. I have tons more questions, but I wanted to thank you for your time tonight.

7:37 p.m.– Karen Soule: Thank you to Aldermen for your question and thank you to Amoskeag Corporation to consenting to use of Sheridan-Emmet Park. I want to answer questions. We are building at Sheridan-Emmet Park. During construction, basketball court at Beech Street school will be expanded. Stanton Park playground will be expanded during construction. Improvements to basketball courts at current Beech Street site will happen after completion of new school. There will also be a new field. This is all included in the $306 million project. We are not asking for money, just asking for what has already been allocated. Students deserve windows in all classrooms, they deserve cafeterias large enough so everyone can eat there. We cannot afford to do nothing.

7:40 p.m. – Melissa Bartolomei: I live on Sagamore Street. Lived here for over 20 years. I have taken time away from my children tonight to urge you to vote yes. According to Association of Realtors and others, education is most important factor in attracting people to move to town. Business in Millyard is booming, but what happens when young professionals start families? And what about our own children, don’t they deserve up-to-date facilities as well? We know we have great teachers, but we expect them to teach in buildings crumbling around them. Beech Street project provides opportunity for one of neediest parts of the city and others as well. Please make a decision that gives students quality education and quality facilities.

7:42 p.m. – Jocelyn Champagne: I am a life-long Manchester resident, parent of two students. I’ve never spoken at a meeting before, but felt I needed to tonight. School board has done their homework. The money has been allocated and construction is moving forward: don’t stop now. The city deserves a building they can be proud of. They deserve a building where students can go to the bathroom. They deserve a school not to be embarrassed of because students from Bedford or Bow are there….. families are leaving, but some stayed because they saw this school being planned….many parents are not here because they are being parents but others are not here because they trust you.

7:45 pm: Shelley Kesselman: I am on board of Granite State Operating Project. I support new zoning ordinance. I ask that you ask developer of 513 Elm St. leave 10% of units for Section 8 housing.

7:47 pm: Susan Kesselring: I urge you to vote against Beech Street School. While we have been told that this will not impact taxes, but this may not always be the case. Families are struggling with cost of living….most important thing is providing resources to teachers.

7:49 p.m. : Travis York: I have been watching Beech Street project from afar, it seems good. I am chairman of group that brought basketball courts to Sheridan-Emmett Park and I am happy to have them wiped out for a new school. Some people who are subject-matter experts on this new school and we agreed with them at one time. I also believe it’s better to invest in a long-term solution than waffling. We found a way to pay for this without impacting taxes. That’s almost too good to be true…..waffling is not good for any of us. Many of us are trying to attract people to our communities. …. if you have a big bold vision, you have to invest in your infrastructure. (three minutes). I live in Ward 1, it’s not fair that I have great schools I can send my kids to while others elsewhere in the city don’t have the same.

7:52 p.m. Brittany Ping: Craziest thing happened in the past hour. Elections have consequences. Ross Ulbricht is going to be free for first time in ten years. I talked to his mother. Last year this board drastically changed. You were all given a direction to be the checks and balances of the budget of this city. Your job is a fidiciary responsibility to make sure this makes sense, not fall to emotions . School budget went up. What things on the city side will you cut for the schools? I have been radically opposed to this project since 2020 when this board looked radically different….. Wilson School was closed quickly… this is our only mega-elementary school, 732 students, you will displace 120 children at McDonough and they will go back to their redlined school district ….. this FAQ in packet is a dream…. if you can, make Beech Street a Magnet School.

7:56 p.m. – Matt Drew: I live at 198 Mast Rd. in Ward 10. How do we know that adequacy aid won’t disappear and what happens then to cover the bond? ….. if state funding goes away, our plan is to ask the state for more funding. That is not a plan, it’s a wish. Things don’t work that way. This project seems like wanting to have a really nice car. Everyone would like to have this really nice building for kids. The problem is that we need to balance a really good education with an education we can afford. People are leaving Manchester because our property taxes are high. If we support this, they will remain high. Please vote no and try again.

7:58 p.m. – Joanna Brown: I live in Ward 1 on Levins Drive. I urge you to vote no. I am a fiscal manager. There are problems. Just because you say you won’t raise taxes, that does not mean you won’t when things go wrong. What will happen if state funds dry out? Who will pay that bond back? The taxpayers. You can’t tell me that’s wrong. We are getting state aid to help with literacy. When you double the size of Beech Street, how do you expect to improve literacy. You don’t throw a band-aid on things and double the size of schools and expect to improve literacy…. so what is the ultimate goal of the school board? There are retired home owners that have spent their entire life paying off their house. Their taxes are getting worse each year and they will get worse if you support this plan….you cannot guarantee that taxes won’t go up if you approve this.

8:00 p.m. – Rich Girard:

8:05 p.m. – Bradford Cook: My children were in schools, served on school board almost 30 years ago. I was former Chamber of Commerce, employer in Manchester, lived here for 62 years. When I started, most wanted to live in Manchester, now people ask about the schools. My grandsons want to go to schools in Manchester. I urge you to support the Beech Street School and the program promoted by the School Board… business community is behind this project.

8:07 p.m. – Dr. John Avard: Ward 10. I served for 12 years on school board. Served on all but one of the committees, served on many special committees. Hosted many meetings with families, visited most of these buildings. I know that Beech Street is a good solid building, it is younger than I am and younger than most of you are. We just spent millions of dollars updating it. It is an open concept school, do you support tearing down all open concept schools? This will cost $80 million. The reasoning to close down our school buildings was folly. Example is Ash Street School. I’ve heard people say we need a 100-year building, yet we are tearing down a 50-year one… like it or not, this is coming out of taxpayer pockets. This will make it harder to get teacher raises, paraprofessionals, technology upgrades. When you mayor first ran for office you were a nobody, you asked us to give us a change, said you would be a fiscal conservative and you’ve done great things, but now we find out you are in favor of this boondoogle (3 minutes), we just learned about increasing sewer bills. This is on the heels of a victory for Donald Trump. The people have had enough, don’t let down the people who supported you.

8:11 p.m. – Patricia Utley: I support Beech Street School Economic development is important. I’ve never spoken in public before, but I wanted to come here.

8:13 p.m. – Mark McClean: I am a state rep from Ward 8. I normally don’t testify at these meetings. Beech Street is a want, not a need. If we had a lot of money, it’d be fine. At Ward 8 meetings, people ask about opioids, PR Bail, but not schools…… bond payment has sketchy assumptions….state is keeping a careful eye on every single penny….. we will be carrying the bulk of this burden alone. Between this and sewer system, you just have to assume that the burden is too great and you have to investigate other alternatives.

8:16 p.m. – Ryan Drohan: (hands pamphlet to City Clerk for Aldermen). I live in Ward 7 on Porter Street. I have five questions. First, what is enrollment for next 25 years? Public school enrollment is down more than 20 percent compared to 20 years ago. There will be more people over the age of 65 than children by 2030. …… why is the focus not on improving current students’ education. Manchester students are below average on math proficiency…. just 19 percent vs state average of 44 percent. If state aid disappears, what will happen? Question Four: why would anyone want to move to Manchester given the costs? Sewer rates are going up 91%….. actual tax rate went up 3.82 percent…. Question Five: Where will money for the $1.5 billion in Phase 2 costs be addressed by the Board of School Committee (three minutes). I work on Amherst Street in Nashua and drive by a school that was built in 1892. We don’t need to tear Beech Street down.

8:20 p.m. – Jessica Spillers: I came down here to testify… I have heard from many people asking why this project should take precedence from many other priorities. However, school district is addressing many of those other priorities and some of those priorities would be addressed by the Beech Street project…..I was assured that this is not just a good investment now and won’t harm anyone in the future financially…. I am willing to put in the effort to rebuild this city for the next generation. We should solve our problems now so future generations can deal with their own problems… re-vote on the Beech Street School now and end the cycle of negligence.

8:23 p.m. – Sarah Georges: I love Manchester, lived here for 30 years, but if I want to stay here and grow my kids here, need to know that this city will have great teachers and a place to stay and the city is invested in its future. It’s the whole system. If (Aldermen) don’t believe in (Manchester), how am I supposed to stay here?….. If you guys can’t fix one building. I don’t know if any of you have been inside Beech Street School, but that place has needed to be fixed for a long time. There are 14 windows. …..(says classrooms without windows are like solitary confinement in prison)…. many opposed do not have to be in these schools….It just seems like common sense and common sense is losing.

8:26 p.m. Gloria Newkendo: Inacula (woman who as next in line to speak) can no longer be here, she is a mother. My son has sensory issues….. (could not hear due to fans)…supports Beech Street project.

8:29 p.m. Kelly Newman: I am principal of Beech Street School. I have been here for removal of asbestos from ceilings, new modular classrooms….. our school has an undeniable energy…. we welcomed half of Wilson School’s students. Our community was coming together. However, we know this feeling is temporary, we are looking forward to a new school that has enough space for school lunches, room for special classes not on carts, and a library large enough for increased number of students… that came to a halt two months ago…..we have worked hard on the concept….. there will be a new play structure at Stanton Park that will be an improvement…. basketball courts nearby will be an improvement. Fields will be restored and compliment nearby Sheehan-Basquil Park. This is about a vibrant environment for our neighborhood. This is about more than bricks and mortar, it’s about an investment in our students, families, and our future.

8:33 p.m. Aimee Kereage: Manchester Proud supports land transfer and other items tonight that support our schools

8:34 p.m. – Nancy Sicaucus(?): I urge mayor and board to reject Beech Street proposal….. recent data indicates that our students’ test scores are lowest in the state, this needs to be the main attention. I respectully ask that the school board says that this project will not impact taxpayers. We are appreciative when Manchester is awarded state funds, but we understand when there is a shortfall…this requires through analysis. ….. There are still too many unknowns, SMMA has a conflict of interest. The Aldermen that stopped this process need to stick to their promises.

8:36 p.m. – Lowell Mathews: I come to you not just as a professor, but as a resident. I support Beech Street. We live in a time when innovation costs. We have heard about the wonderful work teachers are doing, but imagine the work they could do in a space destined for them. Imagine a space that engages teachers, engages students, engages families, engages you. Maybe you would hold a meeting there….while we cannot correlate a space to educational performance, but cannot deny the impact on self-esteem….you cannot deny the impact of a school built for you…. I have seen the impact of students at young ages not being invested in and the impact on their ability to enter the workplace….this is scary, but this should have been done earlier…… to ensure that all of our students are provided with the same opportunity, we have to start here. Equity starts here today.

8:39 p.m.– Victoria Sullivan: This sounds like the story of the woman who swallowed the fly and then had to swallow the spider….hearing about students in solitary confinement? We hear about state of the art schools and kindergarten and putting fifth graders in middle schools where they don’t belong…. this is a disaster from beginning to end….poor planning from the district, no foresight here…this will help the next generation children, not current children, they will be living in squalor because they can’t afford this. Don’t tell me about how this won’t raise taxes, it already has and will continue to do so…. You guys need to understand a Supreme Court Case will come down and change everything about school funding…. I don’t want to hear about how if you don’t support a shiny new building for our kids, you don’t love them…you should be talking about beat cops making relationships in neighborhoods…. you should support my bills in the state senate for intra-school transfers and educational freedom accounts.

8:44 p.m. – Sue Corby: We’re only talking about park transfer. Facilities plan has already been approved. You have done your homework since December. You have talked to homeowners, taxpayers, everybody… people have been responding to people and I thank you for that. I hope some of you have changed your mind and I hope that you come up with the best decision for this point. As an educator, buildings are the main ingredient in education, it’s dedicated teachers that are the main thing. But where do highly skilled educators want to teach? They want to teach in buildings that support what they’re doing. They want competitive salaries, but that has been taken care of…..thank you again for everything you’re doing.

8:46 p.m. -Sahia Muhammad (she’s not here) Nahama Makoud (?) I live near the Beech Street School. This would be a good thing for our children and neighbors.

8:47 p.m. – Arnold Mikolo: I am a Manchester resident and president of Manchester NAACP. I strongly support the rebuilding of Beech Street. The NAACP aims to achieve equality, political rights and social inclusion and economic security for all people of color. I am here in strong support of this elementary school because a child’s environment significantly impacts their success…. Ward 5 is one of the most overburdened places not just in Manchester or New Hampshire, but in all of America. It is currently ranked in the lowest in the nation because of an environment because the people there that they did not create….. if we hope to change this cycle, we must address these issues of poverty. No more classrooms in basements or without windows….Beech Street includes many families from low income or immigrant communities. These families cannot support students outside of school….

8:51 p.m. – Julie Cassano: I am a kindergarten teacher at Beech Street, formerly Wilson. This plan has been allocated down to the dollar. We need to stop looking at what ifs. Some people have looked at this as a dream, but it could be a reality. It is already happening and not continuing support it will make it fail….. this will make a learning space that is appropriate and help students thrive. I have on the ground lived experience. What we have right now is not enough…. a new school will take aware barriers that have been against us all…. we deserve to have classrooms free of rodents and with natural light… when you vote for this you’re not just voting on a faraway plan, you’re voting for our children, for our staff… you’re voting for no more mice, windowless classrooms…..please consider all that is before you.

8:54 p.m. – Will Infantine: If I had known I’d be here for two hours I would have went across the street to the pub and get a beer…I live in Ward 6, lived in Manchester 25 years, I am a product of public schools and my children went to public schools…..I believe we need to spend money on public schools, we need to keep up with the rest of the state, but I question this project…. but as School Committee Member Avard said, this building is younger than most of us…. mayor, when you came into work, you had a plan to deal with homelessness, you’ve stuck with the plan and you’ve done well with it. This project does not have a plan….. what happens in a few months when they come back for 10 million dollars… as Senator/Alderman Long knows, we never know what will happen in Concord….. we hope this won’t cost any taxpayer money, but you don’t know that….another project that was not supposed to cost any taxpayer money was the baseball stadium….. I don’t like kicking the can down the road, but this bill is not ready for prime time. The school district has not been transparent…. (three minutes)….