Mayor Jim Bouley has a new phrase for Concord: “An economic development strike force.”
He introduced the idea to members of the business community and other attendees Thursday at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce “State of the City” address.
“This is a term that I hope you’re going to hear a whole lot more about in the coming year,” Bouley said. “We can’t rely on the old days when businesses would just come to the city and say we want to locate here. We have to be a lot more active. We have to be a lot more strategic.”
He hopes that strategy will band together community members – the so-called “strike force.” Bouley didn’t elaborate on who would possibly be included, but noted “folks who are successful” and “key institutions.”
“We have to bring those people together and go out to the businesses and say, ‘We are here, we have everything you need to bring your business here,’ ” Bouley said.
While running for his fifth term as mayor, Bouley pledged to make economic development and business recruitment a priority. In the months since November’s election, he has solicited ideas from several groups – the city’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, the Concord Young Professionals Network and the chamber.
Bouley noted some of their suggestions Thursday – writing a three- to five-year economic development plan, hiring a full-time economic development director to recruit businesses.
“This is the No. 1 priority,” he said.
The mayor spent more time, however, touting public and private downtown projects – among them, the Endicott Hotel and the Remi’s Block redevelopment. Both of those construction projects were the beneficiaries of tools like RSA 79-E, which allows a tax incentive for building rehabs, and gap financing from the city’s Revolving Loan Fund. He also noted the Main Street project, which is scheduled to be finished in November.
“You all enjoy it, right?” he said of the downtown redesign.
There were a few scattered shouts of “yes.”
“Come on,” the mayor prompted, and the group gave him a round of applause.
He noted the ongoing construction on South Main Street and the new wayfinding signs being installed along the length of the downtown corridor.
He also touted a change in the work plan. On Monday, the Concord City Council agreed to spend an additional $2 million to bury several blocks of South Main Street utility lines – in front of the Concord Food Cooperative, the former Department of Employment Security building, the Eagle building, the Concord Feminist Health Center and a few local offices. That project will bring the budget for the downtown redesign to more than $13 million for design, construction and marketing.
During his address Thursday, Bouley said he has heard from people who wish the council buried an extra block of lines in front of the Capitol Center for the Arts. That add-on would have cost $1 million extra and stretched construction into 2017.
“The money wasn’t so much the issue,” Bouley said. “A lot of it was the timing. . . . I feel like I made a promise to the merchants down at that end of town that we would get this over with as soon as possible, and I wanted to keep that.”
Bouley and City Manager Tom Aspell also provided a status update on other ongoing capital projects like the accelerated neighborhood paving plan, replacements for all seven neighborhood pools and a new Sewalls Falls Bridge. They also touched on plans for a roundabout at Exit 16 and the newly approved Heights Community Center.
At last year’s “State of the City” address, Bouley and Aspell broke the news about a delay in a controversial three-lane reconfiguration for Loudon Road. One year later, the road’s future is still undecided. Aspell said he and his staff are meeting with state and federal officials to find a four-lane design that still improves safety.
The city manager also told the audience the city’s financial health and bond rating are strong, boasting the city’s balanced budgets and tax rate in comparison with other communities.
“We’re nowhere near the Manchesters, the Franklins and the Keenes with their tax rates, and thank goodness,” Aspell said.
Members of the audience were looking down the road to the state’s planned reconfiguration of Interstate 93 and its effect in Concord. While construction on the expanded highway won’t begin for years, Bouley said city officials will begin meeting with the state to discuss that project.
Some wondered about adding new exit ramps by Sewalls Falls Bridge, while others asked about reconfiguring or getting rid of Exit 14 near Loudon Road. From his seat in the center of the room, developer Steve Duprey chimed in.
“Go big,” he called out.
The presentation slide show will be available at concordnh.gov.
(Megan Doyle can be reached at 369-3321, mdoyle@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @megan_e_doyle.)